Adjusting to You
by Lunatasha
Summary: Karin's life had stopped being stable a while ago. She was always in danger. Tōshirō & Karin started living together to keep her safe, but it didn't work. She was being chased again, & Tōshirō wasn't sure he could help her. Contains language & some gore.
1. Prologue

**Hey guys! I know I'm in the middle of other stories, but what can I say? I got attacked by HitsuKarin plot bunnies. I just adore this pairing. XD To be honest, this chapter might be a little confusing. I'm not sure, because I wrote it, so clearly, I know what I mean. XD If anyone has any troubles understanding I'll either reply to your message/review, edit this chapter or clarify it in the next. It depends what I feel is best. ^^ The main part of the story is them living and growing up (teenage years, oh the fun I can have with hormones) together, I wrote this to explain why they actually are living together. But I'll probably end up referencing it a lot, so I highly suggest reading it, even if just a prologue. ^^ I hope you enjoy!**

**P.S - Words in italic is a character thinking.  
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><p><span>Chapter 1: Prologue<span>

Karin almost screamed in frustration, but in the end settled for a sigh because she didn't want to worry her family. But the past couple of years had been so unstable, it was hard to deal with.

It all started when she was 13. Well, the stuff that heavily involved her did. Due to Ichigo getting his powers back, Isshin being a shinigami and both Karin and Yuzu's reiatsu steadily increasing hollows came to grace the Kurosakis with their presence what felt like every 5 minutes. So Soul Society decided to move the entire family to a village just on the outskirts of Seireiti. This way the whole family could stay safe (well safer) and Soul Society don't lose two powerful shinigamis who could become useful at any time. It took a little persuading, but eventually the family decided it was for the best. Besides the family had adapted. Ichigo regularly trained in Soul Society but after discussing with Yamamoto, still lived with his family, basically making up for all the lost time in previous years. Isshin ended up setting a mini clinic for people in Rukongai to use. It wasn't free, but it was a hell of a lot cheaper than any other 'clinic' and the profits added with Ichigo's salary meant the family could get by easily. The twins had managed to make a good amount of friends each, and had almost gone back to their old routines.

The original plan was for Karin and Yuzu to home-school themselves with the help of each other and their siblings if needed and training on the evenings and weekends. Nothing major or anything. Just some simple self defence, effective ways to use their reiatsu and most importantly how to completely hide their reiatsu. Yeah, that went so well. Well, it did for Yuzu, but unfortunately, not for Karin. Nobody knew how it happened to be truthfully honest. Maybe there was more to his power? It was stronger than they first thought? It doesn't really matter any more, the point is that it happened, but it shouldn't have. Aizen was managing to break through his barriers. Everyone who had experienced Aizen knew that simply imprisoning him for 20,000 years was stupid, but then again, how could they execute him if he was immortal? It was a vicious cycle. He was trying to overcome his restraints. Kido experts kept putting more barriers around, but he still managed to seep through. The fact that he was seeping through wouldn't have been a problem if he had any other power. Most people theorized that when the Hogyoku destroyed his zanpakto, it didn't actually destroy it, but absorb it, allowing Aizen to use his hypnotising/illusion powers without having to draw a sword. It was this power that was seeping through, but because it was weak the shinigami didn't have any problems. However, for two children who had only been training for 6 months, and even then it was slow and not very often because of the fear of pushing them way too far. After all, it wasn't really their first choice. Aizen overlooked Yuzu almost immediately. He saw her as weak and pretty much useless. Karin was a different case. It was a lot harder to get inside her head, but he knew he could use her for his advantage.

It started off pretty light. Causing simple trouble outside Seireiti. But there were times when Karin would travel inside the gates where Aizen would force her to do things like sabotage experiments in the 12th squad. But Soul Society was quick to pick up on it. In fact Yamamoto was pretty quick and completely ready to execute her for fear of her being a traitor. After several shinigami had begged him not to (she had befriended quite a few) they decided to quarantine her to the 4th squad for a month, to observe her. After about two weeks Unohana had created a couple of tests based off her predictions. The test results revealed that whenever she did something destructive or unhelpful, she wasn't in control. It was almost as if she was unconscious and someone else was pulling the strings. She could almost never remember when she displayed this behaviour either. Overtime it became clear that it was Aizen because it wasn't hidden very well, due to his power having to go through several walls before it got to her. After several discussions and meetings it was decided that the more distance between her and Aizen was better. And what was the furthest away that Soul Society could manage? The Living World. But due to her training being uncompleted she couldn't go back to the human world alone. In Unohana's opinion this all worked out quite nicely. A certain 10th division captain was working and training himself to death and needed to be forced to take a break. This captain also happened to be close in physical and mental age to the Kurosaki in question and they got along pretty well. In fact, the occasional visits he made to the Kurosaki household did not go unnoticed. Unohana suggested straight away that that Karin and Tōshirō should live together in the human world. Karin would be kept away from Aizen and be protected, Tōshirō would get a break and a change of pace while still actually working so not getting overly bored or frustrated. All of the captains agreed with this logic and it was agreed that Tōshirō and Karin would live together. Ichigo wasn't impressed with the idea at first, but thinking about for a while he came to the conclusion that out of all of the idiots she could've gotten Tōshirō was the best choice. Despite how much he hated that fact. So now Karin was lying on her bed frustrated with the fact that she has to move all the way back, and live with Tōshirō no less.

It's not that it was an awful thing to do, living with Tōshirō, it's just Karin really didn't picture the first time living with a guy would be because she had to be protected from an evil immortal man and monsters that wanted to eat her. She sprawled across her bed, thinking about the situation. Yamamoto told her and Tōshirō that they needed to have themselves organised and living in their accommodation by the end of the month, which gave them about two and a half weeks. Luckily for them, it was decided that they shouldn't have to pay for it, so as long as everything they buy was within reason, it was completely free. Karin sighed and leaned over to her bed-side table to grab her notebook and a pen. The soon-to-be roomates decided that they make a list of all the things they need, and a separate list for the things they want and then discuss them tomorrow. Karin looked at her clock. Tomorrow was two hours ago, and they're supposed to be meeting in 7 hours, and she has yet to sleep. Whoops._ 'Suppose I should get started on these lists then. Well, most of these are obvious. Bed, clothes, desk, toiletries, stationary, jeez, this will be finished in like two minutes.'_

One hour later, she was still going through everything she wanted. It's actually surprising how little you need and how much is luxury. She was being careful not to miss anything. When it reached half 3 she gave up and went to sleep, not entirely sure she was ready for what the day would bring.

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><p><strong>So...what do you guys think? Love it? Hate it? Reviews are high appreciated, as this way I can become a better writer. ^^ By the way, chapter 2 is already half-written. Look forward to it! ^^<strong>


	2. Accommodation Problems

**Oh look! The next chapter already! Well, to be honest, it's one of those bridge sort of chapters. It's nothing too serious. It's kinda to say 'look this is what their relationship is right now' Things will pick up the pace next chapter. I'm just trying to set up the story XD Hopefully it's not as bad as I suspect it to be. XD**

**Thank you to everyone who has added this to their favourite stories (already, wow guys XD) and story alert, and thank you so much to all of my 6 reviewers and your comments! Forbidden-Hanyou, Revolation, windkikyo and cyin. As for BaS23, I see you stalking my fics! I appreciate it so much XD And Bleached-Whale, thanks for telling me about my sentences, I'll start working on them next chapter (I was already 2/3 through this chapter when I read your review.)  
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**Again, words in italic is a character thinking, but words in italic and bold is a Zanpakutō talking. (At the moment it's only going to be Hyōrinmaru)**

**P.S - I literally listened to 2NE1 - I AM THE BEST the entire time I wrote this chapter. I don't know it just seems very Karin-ish to me. I recommend it!**

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><p>Chapter 2: Accommodation Problems<p>

Tōshirō and Karin were making reasonable progress in his office. Tōshirō was sitting cross-legged on one of his sofas facing his coffee table while Karin was lying on her stomach, propping up her torso with her elbows on the opposite sofa. They were both getting pretty bored. "Ugh, Tōshirō do we have to agree on anything else?" He quickly scanned the sheets that were littered on and around his coffee table.  
>"Um no...Apart from what kind of accommodation we want to live in."<br>"Ugh." Karin buried her head into Tōshirō's sofa. "How the hell are we supposed to choose a place to live from photos?"  
>"...What did you say? Your voice was muffled." Karin lifted her head slightly.<br>"I said, how the hell are we supposed to choose a place to live from photos?" Tōshirō sighed and leaned back into the sofa.  
>"I don't know. I've never cared about this sort of thing before, but if we're going to end up spending a lot of time in the accommodation, I'd rather choose." Karin turned her head from the sofa to face Tōshirō. "Do you have to call it accommodation every time? It seems so artificial and, not home-ish."<br>"It's not my home or yours."  
>"Yet." Tōshirō blinked in surprise. "Oh come on, you know it's true. We'll be there for a couple years, at least." Tōshirō sighed.<br>"I guess that's true. It is going to become home, isn't it?" Karin studied his face for a moment.  
>"You don't seem too impressed by that."<p>

"Hmm? Oh right. Well...Ok, this might sound a little stupid. It's just, I've lived in this world my entire life, just well living my life or getting on with work or training. All of a sudden it's like I'm just being shipped off to a different world because it's convenient for everyone else." Karin looked sort of awkward for a second.  
>"Well, that kinda is the reason you were chosen to live with me, protect me, whatever. Had to be captain level and someone who I got on with. You just happened to fill those requirements. Well actually, it's not it's convenient for everyone else it's just that you're best suited for it. Not to mention that you're killing yourself with work so you need a break."<br>"Well that's just it. This is technically a mission, but I can't think of it like one. The other captains have just told me to just act like a kid and relax a bit, but...how do I do that?" Tōshirō couldn't help but look down when he said the last part. It was moments like these when Karin was incredibly glad that out of all of the captains she could've been stuck with, she had been given Tōshirō. She couldn't possibly call them best friends, especially as despite having known each other for a couple years they don't really know anything huge about each other. If they talk it was almost always small talk, it was never overly-serious. However, they seemed to understand each other well, and Karin was extremely grateful for that. And because of the mutual understanding between them, she knew what to do in this sort of situation. She expected Tōshirō to have a hard time with this. She certainly was. Karin sighed, got up from the sofa and started making green tea with honey. After it was finished and poured, she handed a cup to Tōshirō and sat down next to him.

It was all he needed. He was rarely comforted for any issues he had, the only person who picked up on them was Rangiku, and she never really fixed it. Sure, she helped him take his mind off it for a little while, but that's all it did. He didn't understand it, if he was brutally honest with himself. But Karin just seemed to know what to do. Tea always made him feel better, and while he'll probably never end up telling Karin, she made some of the best tea he'd ever drink. And then she would just sit there. But it never felt uncomfortable, she was never too near to him, or too far away, he could just feel her there, as if she would always be there by his side.

When Tōshirō set down his cup after finishing his tea and turned to Karin. "We could always ask if we could go to the Living world for a day or so to make sure we get a house that we want." Karin's brow furrowed.  
>"Would that be possible?" Tōshirō thought for a moment.<br>"Well, what harm can asking do? I think it's a reasonable request." Karin nodded slightly.  
>"I guess that's true. So are you going to go now? Or what?" Tōshirō stood up and stretched slightly.<br>"Now. The Captain Commander is the type of person who likes as much notice as possible."  
>"Have fun." Tōshirō's face dead-panned.<br>"I'm not even going to dignify that comment with an answer." Karin laughed and waved at Tōshirō while he walked out of the room.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō had no idea how he did it, but he managed to get permission from Yamamoto to go to the Living World for a day. He assumed Karin had gone home, so he planned to go to her house later on to tell her that they could go tomorrow. But first there was a small pile of paperwork he wanted to complete before he left the office for the day. Somehow a short visit to the Kurosaki household manages to exceed 3 hours almost every time. Because of this assumption, Tōshirō was a little shocked when he found a sleeping Karin on his sofa. _'Well, at least choosing a bed for her should be quick. She seems to be able to sleep anywhere.'_**_  
>'Indeed. Even the wall. Frankly, I found that impressive.'<em>** Tōshirō smiled. It was strange to see Karin sleeping, she was so peaceful, a huge contrast to when she was awake.

After Tōshirō placed a thin blanket over Karin (It was July) he got to work on his paperwork. He actually forgot she was there because she was so quiet. Unfortunately that didn't work out all too well for him. He was on his last sheet of paperwork when he heard an eardrum-popping squeal. And he just KNEW it was a certain vice-captain of his. Karin stirred and turned in her sleep. Tōshirō glared at Rangiku. "Sorry Taichou! She just looks so cute!" Tōshirō raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know she was even capable of looking so adora-Wait."  
>"What is it now Matsumoto?"<br>"Why is she sleeping here?"  
>"That's none of your concern Matsumoto." Rangiku just smirked with an 'all-knowing' aura.<br>"Fine fine, Taichou" She winked and left the room. Tōshirō stared at the space his vice-captain was recently occupying wondering about her winking action.  
>"What on earth was that about?"<br>"Who knows?" There was no point in lying. Tōshirō jumped at Karin's voice. He practically jumped about half a mile off his seat. And knocked the pile of recently finished paperwork on the floor. _'And, mental breakdown in 3__, 2, 1_' Karin tired her hardest not to laugh.  
>"I would help you, but I just woke up, and I don't know the order they're supposed to be in."<br>"Don't worry about it, besides they don't need to be in order. It makes other people's jobs easier, but hey I'm moving in a couple weeks." Karin laughed.  
>"Oh yeah, what was the answer to the whole Living World request to look at buildings?" Tōshirō finished picking up all of the sheets.<br>"We can go tomorrow if you want." Karin dead-panned.  
>"As in another early morning? Two early mornings in a row? Haha, no." Tōshirō crossed his arms and leaned against the desk.<br>"Didn't you have to get up early for school?"  
>"Well yeah, but I was legally required to. I don't HAVE to do this tomorrow." Tōshirō sighed.<br>"Yes, but it's easier in the long run."  
>"While that is an excellent point, may I offer a rebuttal? FUCK YOU AND YOUR EARLY MORNINGS. I barely got any sleep last night."<br>"You JUST took a nap." Karin glared at him.  
>"I'm still tired." Tōshirō dead-panned.<br>"Yeah well, I'm always tired. It's easiest to do it tomorrow and you know it. Just go to bed early tonight." Karin sighed.  
>"Fine. You win this one, but only because I know it'll be easier in the long run." Tōshirō stared at her. "What?"<br>"It's going to be hard living with you isn't it?" Karin smirked.  
>"You bet."<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō knocked on the front door to the Kurosaki household. Yuzu answered to door and smiled. "Oh, hi Hitsugaya-kun! Are you here for Karin?" When Tōshirō nodded Yuzu invited him in. "She's probably just finishing getting ready. You know where her room is why don't you just knock on the door and see? She might just be reading or something. Waiting for you." Tōshirō said his thanks and made his way up to Karin room and knocked on the door. He didn't get an answer. He knocked again and called her name. She wasn't answering at all. Tōshirō finally gave up. "Karin I'm coming in" Tōshirō could've face-palmed. Could he not enter a room without a sleeping Karin in it? He felt somewhat awkward, obviously the best thing to do was to wake her up, but how to go about it? He didn't know. He started by calling her name quietly, but she didn't even stir. Hesitantly, Tōshirō poked her arm which was peeking out from under the covers. After about 5 minutes of constant cycle of calling, poking and doing nothing because it felt too awkward Karin finally started to show some signs of waking up. She turned in her sleep and faced Tōshirō. Tōshirō shook her very lightly, not wanting to startle her. Karin stretched and cracked open her eyes a fraction. The minute she saw Tōshirō she groaned and turned to face the other side of the bed instead. "Come on, get up already."  
>"Shut up. It can't be that time already."<br>"Of course it can, I wouldn't be in your room otherwise. Now get up." Karin ignored him completely and tried to get back to sleep. "Rin, seriously, get up." Karin turned back to face Tōshirō and glared at him.  
>"When did I give you permission to call me Rin?" she said irritably. Tōshirō smirked. He knew that she was fully awake now. "A smirk is not an answer. Or at least a good enough answer, Tōsh."<br>"What did you call me?" Karin smirked.  
>"Che. You heard what I called you. Now get out so I can get dressed."<br>"Ok, RIN" Karin glared at him.  
>"When are you going to stop calling me that?" Tōshirō folded his arms and leant against the door-frame.<br>"It depends."  
>"On?"<br>"Are you going to continue calling me Tōsh?"  
>"Probably. It amuses me." Tōshirō sighed.<br>"Well you're going to have to get used to the new nickname aren't you?" Karin glared at him as if to say 'Oh so THIS is what's happening? Watch me kick your ass at it'.  
>"You sir, have just started a war." Tōshirō simply rolled his eyes and closed Karin's bedroom door to let her get dressed.<p>

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><p><strong>So what do you guys think? I'm not sure it's brilliant, but I find these sort of chapter awkward to right. XD The main point was to establish Karin and Tōshirō's relationship. Kinda close, yet awkward, and they still irritate the hell out of each other. XD Chapter 3 - House Shopping. Can't wait to write. I imagine it'll be somewhat amusing. XD<strong>


	3. Apartments and Paint

**Took a lot longer to finish than the last chapter, but it's more than twice as long. XD**

**Thanks to every one who added this to story alert or favourite stories, and thanks to the few people who added me to their favourite authors and author alert, I really appreciate it. Well, I appreciate anyone who reads this. XD I've decided it would be easier for me to reply to reviews here, so:**

**Every shadow has its twin: **Thank you ^^ Oh yes, I have plans for Karin alright. XD And you'll just have to wait and see about Aizen.**  
>mets986: <strong>Sorry about that, but thank you for telling me! I've tried to change the layout a bit without violating the English language too much and I've thrown their names in a bit more so I hope it'll be easier to read and tell who's talking.**  
>Forbidden-Hanyou: <strong>Thank you! ^^ I would've checked it out by now but my internet has been all over the place this week, however, I have bookmarked your link and I'll get round to looking at your videos soon! ^^**  
>toshirolovr94: <strong>Thanks a lot! I hope you enjoy this chapter. ^^**  
>Bleached-Whale: <strong>I've tried using semi-colons in this chapter, but I'm not going to lie, I've never used them before because I've never been taught how to. I hope I used them right. XD I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter, especially as it was kinda hard to write. And oh yes, gotta love nicknames.**  
>BaS23: <strong>XD Ah I see, I appreciate it! (I don't think ever told me o.O) Fair enough, everyone's entitled to their own opinion ^^**  
>1BleachFan: <strong>Ah yes, the shower scenario is a popular one in HitsuKarin fanfics. XD Glad you like the nicknames! ^^**  
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><p>Chapter 3: Apartment and Paint<p>

Karin sighed and tried to make her clothes comfortable. Obviously, she kept her human clothes, but nobody wore anything like that in Rukongai, so she ended up wearing kimonos for the majority of the time. She hadn't realised how much she'd grown. Trousers were ok, because she could just steal some of Ichigo's old trousers, it's not like he was going to wear them, but tops were an issue. All of hers were tight; well too tight for her comfort anyway, but she would have to make do. She left her bedroom in black cargo trousers and an 'annoyingly tight' vest top and fairly standard trainers (luckily her feet haven't grown insane amounts). She closed her bedroom door and turned to Tōshirō. "Hey" she said with a nod. Tōshirō nodded back. "Are you finally ready?"  
>"Ugh, I guess"<br>"What's the matter?"  
>"Nothing, I just really hate my clothes right now." Tōshirō had a confused expression on his face.<br>"And why exactly, Rin?"  
>"They don't fit!" Tōshirō looked at her outfit.<br>"Are you talking about your top? Because I've seen worse."  
>"Well duh, look at who your vice-captain is."<br>"Well yes, but no one will care, it's summer."  
>"I care!" Tōshirō rolled his eyes.<br>"Trust me Rin, you're dressed better than most girls your age in summer." Karin thought for a moment.  
>"That's...disturbingly true."<br>"See? Now shut up and let's go."  
>"Jeez, you're awfully pushy today. Is it because of the heat?"<br>"Well...yes. I don't like the idea of walking around all day in the sun."  
>"Nor do I to be honest. But like you said Tōsh, it's gotta be done." Tōshirō sighed and agreed. The two set off towards the Senkaimon.<p>

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There was no hiding it. Both Karin and Tōshirō were reluctant to go round looking at houses. Both of them were scared about moving house. Karin had never really needed to be independent at home. Yuzu was the one who did all the cooking, the cleaning and the washing, and if she was really struggling with something she could always go to her brother or even her dad. (Believe or not, he was serious when the situation called for it.) Obviously she wasn't going to be totally alone or anything and she and Tōshirō had already agreed that they were going to split up and share the responsibilities of owning and living a house, but that didn't mean she magically knew how to do everything. While Tōshirō knew how to do everything (he's been living on his own since he became a captain) the thought of living with someone else made him nervous. It's a lot different to when he was a kid in Rukongai. Back then everyone looked after HIM because he was the youngest, and now even though Karin would never admit it, he was the one protecting and looking after someone else. Besides, back then he was living with his grandmother and might-as-well-be sister, this time it'll be with his best friend. The concept was, well, entirely new to him. He was always a 'cold' person, so people had a tendency to avoid him. Tōshirō didn't think he was her best friend, but she certainly was his.

When the two arrived at Uruhara's Karin started talking to Jinta and Ururu while Tōshirō was getting his gigai and human clothes sorted out. Tōshirō entered the room where the three were talking wearing loosely (but not baggy) fit grey jeans and a black t-shirt. "Hey Rin. Ready to go?" Karin looked up and nodded.  
>"See you guys later!" Karin waved at Jinta and Ururu while Tōshirō nodded towards them. When the duo left the room Jinta turned to Ururu.<br>"Did he call her Rin?" Ururu simply nodded.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The first couple of places Tōshirō and Karin visited did not work for them. Either it was too small or a bad area or something else. The nerves about moving in together combined with the heat were making the pair somewhat irritable. "UGH. We're NEVER going to find a place we like. Or is suitable. Or whatever. Why is this such a pain!"  
>"Rin, we've gone to 3 places. That's it. There's still another 300 something possibilities." Karin sighed.<br>"Look can we just take a break. This isn't easy for me."  
>"Sure." He led her to a nearby bench. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but why isn't this easy for you? I mean I understand leaving you're family is hard, but you're going back to where you grew up. You know this area. You know where everything is." Karin sighed and nodded.<p>

"While all of that's true, it's still hard. To be honest Tōsh..." Karin trailed off and started staring at the floor. (Because as you all know, blades of grass are very entertaining in July.) Tōshirō nudged her slightly. "It scares me Tōsh. I know I'm supposed to be a Kurosaki, and I'm supposed to be the stronger twin and stuff, but this really scares me. I've never had to be completed independent before." Tōshirō poked her arm.

"You don't have to be. I don't mind if you depend on me a little you know." Karin smiled and leant against Tōshirō. The action almost made him jump, he wasn't used to this sort of contact. _'I suppose this is her way of saying thank you without actually saying it?'_ **_'Who knows?'_** Karin grabbed Tōshirō's attention away from his Zanpaktō by speaking.  
>"You know what? Fine. I'll let myself depend on you a little, if you let yourself depend on me a little, deal?" Tōshirō looked at Karin.<br>"Depend on you?" Karin rolled her eyes slightly.  
>"Oh come on. For a start, I think you need someone to moan and actually talk to because that makes problems easier, secondly, you need someone to teach you how to have fun before you do actually die of overworking and finally, I can tell that you're nervous about going to a place that you don't really know. You don't know where anything is or how things really work around here. So come on, let me help you." Tōshirō had a slightly bewildered look on his face.<br>"How did you even..."  
>"What? Know all that? It's as plain as day to me." Tōshirō leaned back onto the bench and sighed.<br>"Well, what do you know? A fourteen year old girl who's known me for four years can understand me better then my vice-captain." Karin smiled as she answered.  
>"What can I say? I have women's intuition." Tōshirō raised his eyebrow at her.<br>"Are you saying that my vice-captain doesn't have women's intuition or-"  
>"Of course not. It just happens that mine isn't clouded with sake." Tōshirō couldn't help but smile. Karin stood up and stretched. "Shall we get going again?" Tōshirō got up, agreed and waited for Karin to finish stretching before they set off to the next place they wanted to look at.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

The soon-to-be roomates were checking out the 7th place. In all honesty, Tōshirō was starting to get pretty bored. As long as it wasn't too small, and Karin knew the area, who cared? Karin however hadn't quite reached that mindset yet so she was still looking around with interest. Tōshirō decided to start paying attention when Karin seemed pretty happy. Chances were this had a high probability of becoming his new home. The more he looked the more he liked. (Or rather the more sense it made to choose this one.) It was an apartment with a fairly simple layout. Decent sized kitchen and living area, two bedroom that were roughly the same size so they wouldn't end up arguing about who gets which one and there was a fairly big supermarket near, it wasn't small, but it wasn't overly huge. Tōshirō knew that Karin would hate having a big place with only two people in it, she's end up feeling lonely. When the estate agent left the two to talk Karin immediately turned to Tōshirō grinning. "I think this is the one!" Tōshirō ended up smiling after seeing Karin so happy. He swore that girl was contagious. "Do you like it?" Tōshirō nodded.  
>"It seems...right, for us. Although we're going to have to re-decorate it." Karin scoffed and rolled her eyes.<p>

"Well obviously." According to the estate agent the previous owners were two girls attending university, and well, it was obvious. Both of the bedrooms were pink, there was evidence of parties taking places (Tōshirō knew that oh so well) the carpet for the living room was a lilac colour, and quite frankly the entire current decorating job didn't appeal to either of them.

After a long conversation with the estate agent they had managed to get everything sorted and the apartment would be officially theirs by the next day. Tōshirō and Karin had started walking back to Uruhara's when Karin stopped them. "Wait, Tōsh. Wouldn't it make sense if we stayed here a couple days? We could decorate the bedrooms so we could move in pretty much straight away after we've got all the essentials. We can easily decorate rooms other than our bedrooms after we move in." Tōshirō thought for a moment.  
>"Considering our deadline that would make sense. Why didn't that occur to me?" Karin shrugged.<br>"I dunno. Maybe the sun frazzled your brain. You don't get out much afterall, do you?"  
>"Oh shut up." He quickly found his phone and contacted Yamamoto about their new plans they wanted to carry out while Karin was left leaning on a lamppost getting bored. After an annoyingly pleading conversation (which amused Karin greatly) they finally got the go ahead. Tōshirō put his phone back in his trouser pocket. "He agreed, but we've got to sort out our accommodation while we're here." Karin shrugged.<p>

"Easy. We'll just stay at Uruhara's." Tōshirō shook his head.  
>"I don't think that's a good idea."<br>"Why not? He owes me anyway."  
>"Yeah but Rin, I don't. And we don't have time to wait for me to complete doing chores." Karin slowly nodded while thinking.<br>"I'm sure Orihime would let us stay at her place." Tōshirō raised his eyebrow.  
>"You know Inoue?" Karin rolled her eyes.<br>"Are you kidding Tōsh? I know her better than you." Tōshirō shrugged and continued the conversation.  
>"Fine I guess. But I'm not really a fan of her cooking." Karin waved her hand in a dismissive way.<br>"Oh neither do I Tōsh. We can just eat before we go. That way we only have to endure breakfast...Actually we could probably escape that too, if we say that we want to get an early start. Look, I'll call her now so we can give her warning and that way if dinner ends up taking a while we don't just show up at her apartment in the night." Tōshirō thought for a moment.  
>"That probably is our best option." Karin nodded and made the call. Orihime was only too happy to oblige.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

After they had a reasonably cheap meal at a restaurant the two teenagers found themselves in Orhime's living room. Tōshirō and Karin were sitting cross-legged around a small coffee table while Orihime herself was making tea for the three of them; both Tōshirō and Karin felt kinda bad for just barging into her home. (Or at least that's what it felt like to the pair.) However Orihime seemed really happy to see them, which was proved by the hug she gave both of them the minute she saw them. After Orihime came back into the living room with tea the three of them ended up having a lengthy conversation about what's been going on and why Tōshirō and Karin were in the human world. While Orihime stated she was worried about Aizen, she was glad to see the pair of them doing well. When the conversation was heading to it's end it was decided that Tōshirō and Karin would sleep on futons on the floor due to there being only one spare bed so it only seemed fair. Orihime lent the pair of them some clothes to sleep in and allowed them to sort themselves out. Tōshirō couldn't help but wonder why Orihime had men's clothing at her apartment but chose not to question it. He quickly changed so Karin wouldn't have to wait too long for the bathroom. He finished changing and nodded to Karin on his way out. He started to set up the futons while Karin showered.

About 20 minutes later Karin showed up in the living room with pale blue shorts, a simple spaghetti top and a towel round her neck. She was greeted with the sight of Tōshirō staring at her. "What?" Karin asked, a little creeped out. Tōshirō's eyes narrowed.  
>"Why are you so thin?" Karin became a little awkward and tried to avoid looking at him.<br>"What are you talking about?" Tōshirō stood up and walked over to her.  
>"Rin, you've seemed to have lost a lot of weight suddenly. Have you not been eating?" Karin finally met his eyes.<br>"Of course I've been eating! I ate with you earlier remember?" She forced herself to look at him.  
>"Karin for god's sake I can see your damned ribs!" Karin had to look away. To be honest, she currently hated how she looked.<p>

"It's because of him." Tōshirō narrowed his eyes again but this time in confusion. When Karin saw this she clarified it for him. "Aizen I mean. Look...he decided to take over me whenever he pleased, and that just happened to coincide with meal times sometimes...and" Tōshirō's eyes pleaded for her to go on. She took a deep breath. "Tōsh you have no idea what it feels like. To be controlled. Constantly. To know that someone can just do whatever they want with you whenever they want. Quite often after he'd finish doing god knows what with me I just couldn't eat. I don't know if it was depression or something, I just couldn't eat." Karin could feel tears threatening to fall. "Sometimes...I just...felt so used or frustrated or useless that I just couldn't bring myself to eat..." Karin stared at the floor while trying to will herself not to cry. She gasped out of shock when Tōshirō hugged her.

"Rin...why didn't you tell me?" Karin let herself relax and sunk into his arms.  
>"I dunno. I guess...I just felt weak." The two just stayed silent for a moment, Tōshirō just trying to comfort her.<br>"Rin, sometimes it's ok to cry." Karin looked up the second he said that.  
>"How did you..."<br>"It's as plain as day to me" Karin smiled, but when Tōshirō hugged her slightly tighter she couldn't help it. She let herself cry.

XxXxXxXxXxX

When the pair woke up the following morning Orihime had already left the apartment, leaving a note on the fridge basically saying that she didn't want to wake them up but she had to go, and they could help themselves to any food. So while Karin was sorting out breakfast (hey, it was simple enough) Tōshirō was showering. When he finished in the bathroom he came to the breakfast table fully dressed. He took a quick look at Karin. "Still in pyjamas I see." Karin stuck her tongue out at him.  
>"Oi! I'll get dressed when I want!" Tōshirō smiled. He was glad that Karin seemed to be happier. Maybe she was right, maybe problems did get easier once you talk about them. "You look different with your hair down." Karin rolled her eyes.<br>"Well duh. That's like saying night looks different to day. Of course I look different. Why?" Tōshirō looked up from his breakfast.  
>"Hmm? Oh, it's just that I don't think I've ever seen you with your hair down before." Karin seemed surprised.<br>"Really?" Tōshirō nodded. Karin just shrugged.

Karin finished her breakfast quickly and went to get dressed; and Tōshirō started to put the futons away when he had finished eating. When the two had cleaned up Orihime's apartment from their mess they set off to visit the local shops, the first stop being a local hardware shop to get paint for their bedrooms. Tōshirō simply could not fathom how they spent an entire hour in the shop. However, despite the non-existent sense it made, it happened. Tōshirō already felt tired; He was not one for shopping. He thought Karin didn't like shopping either but he quickly discovered that her hatred for shopping only applied to clothes, shoes and that sort of thing. When they had gotten all the equipment they needed to paint the rooms they left the shop and made their way down to their apartment. They got a set of keys each from the landlord and started to get to work.

Never, ever underestimate how messy you can get from decorating rooms. It wasn't that the two weren't being careful with the paint, it just happened to get everywhere. Both Tōshirō and Karin had managed to acquire multicolour hair, and the state of their clothes? Well, the only time they'd be able to wear them again would be for re-decorating. They had managed to get a coat of paint on Karin's room and two coats of paint of Tōshirō's. Karin sighed. "I guess we'll just have to continue working on mine tomorrow. Shame we couldn't finish it today. Although I suppose that's what I get for choosing two colours." Tōshirō got up from painting the skirting board in his room and stretched.

"Why did you pick two colours anyway? Just wanted to do something different?"  
>"Pretty much. I wanted something a little more sophisticated and not so...standard. Get what I mean?" Tōshirō looked at her for a moment.<br>"I think so..." Karin giggled and rolled her eyes.  
>"Men are hopeless." Tōshirō poked her in her side. She squealed and quickly covered her mouth when she realised what she had done. Tōshirō tried not to smile too much. "Are you ticklish by any chance?" Karin glared at him but Tōshirō couldn't take it seriously. In the end his smile broke Karin down.<br>"So maybe I am. What's your point?" Tōshirō shrugged.  
>"I've never thought of you as the ticklish type before." Karin glared at him and poked him in his side.<br>"Oh Tōsh that's not fair! Muscles aren't ticklish."  
>"Obviously."<br>"But it means I can't get you back!" Tōshirō smirked. "Wait, Tōsh. You have abs?" Tōshirō simply looked at her. He didn't know what to say.

"...Were you not expecting that...or what? What do you want me to say here?" Karin shook her head dismissively.  
>"Nothing. I just didn't really expect it. I know you've been training, but it's strange to think of a child having abs..." Tōshirō's eyebrow twitched.<br>"I am not a child Kurosaki." Karin rolled her eyes.  
>"Yes you are Tōsh. So am I. Big deal. You'll grown pretty soon anyway."<br>"Why do you say that?"  
>"Experience from being a nurse. I'd bet that the only reason you haven't hit puberty yet is because you're overworked." Karin smirked when she caught Tōshirō's attention. "Think about it Tōsh. If you're body is too busy focusing on keeping you awake during the day and trying to stop you from collapsing it won't have enough energy to allow you to grow substantial amounts."<br>"That actually makes sense."  
>"Of course it does! I know what I'm talking about. That's why you need to depend on me. The less tense and worked up you are, the better."<br>"I see. But Rin, you were a nurse? Do they even let people your age be nurses." Karin glared at him.  
>"I dunno Tōsh, do they let people your age be captains?" Tōshirō dead-panned.<br>"Touché, Rin. Touché." Karin smirked.  
>"Yeah yeah, we should really get back to Orihime's house. You know, before the paint fumes start screwing with our heads?" Tōshirō agreed.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō and Karin were back at Orihime's, in the living room. They ended up talking about their apartment and things in general until about one o'clock in the morning when Tōshirō finally said that they should get some sleep. Unfortunately, it was half an hour later, and neither of them were asleep; and yet, both thought the other was. Karin was lying on her side, her back facing Tōshirō, wide awake. She wasn't even thinking about anything in particular, she just couldn't sleep. She blamed the heat. Tōshirō couldn't sleep either, but for an entirely different reason. He couldn't stop staring at her ribs. He hated himself for not noticing sooner. And it hurt, seeing her cry like that. Tōshirō never wanted to see her in that state again. He knew Karin hated being protected and 'useless' as she put it, but protecting her was the one thing he really wanted to do. _'So...this is what it's like? Having a best friend? Constantly wanting to look after them and making sure they stay safe? It's almost depressing how new I am at this.'_

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō woke up to see Karin half lying on him. He was shocked, to say the least. He'll never know how Karin had managed to rotate herself 90 degrees in her sleep. He could only assume that the summer heat made her fidget in her sleep. He tried to move but Karin just snuggled into his chest more. When Tōshirō spotted Orihime watching them with an amused expression he couldn't help but glare. Which then ended up turning into a pleading look asking her to help him. Orihime just shrugged, whispered "You shouldn't glare at me" and then left the room grinning. Tōshirō sighed and just lay back down. What could he do? He didn't want to disturb Karin, because she needed the sleep. He came to the conclusion that he should wait until she wakes up and then pretend to be asleep when she did so it looked like she woke up first. Ok, it was childish, but what else was he supposed to do?

When Karin did finally wake up she realised that she was lying on Tōshirō almost immediately. She also noticed that Tōshirō was not asleep. She smirked and turned round so she was lying on her stomach with her chin resting on his chest. "Tōsh, I know you're awake." Tōshirō facepalmed.  
>"Ok. HOW?" Tōshirō could feel Karin giggling.<br>"You're breathing gets heavier when you sleep so it's pretty obvious. You should've just woken me up."  
>"I didn't want to. You looked like you needed it." Karin rolled her eyes and poked his nose lightly.<br>"You're a pain." Suddenly Orihime's voice interrupted them.  
>"Do you have any idea how much you two look like a newly married couple? I mean seriously." The 'newly married couple' glared at her. Orihime just giggled. "I'm making breakfast, what do you guys want?" Tōshirō and Karin looked at each other for a moment. Karin was the first one with an answer.<p>

"Just toast will do to be honest Orihime." Orihime smiled and nodded.  
>"Same for you Hitsugaya-kun or..."<br>"Toast is fine for me too, thanks." Orihime smiled and left the room. Tōshirō lifted his head to look at Karin.  
>"How did I not think of toast of all things?"<br>"I told you, your brains are frazzled from the sun. Either that or you're too tired for your brain to function properly. Neither would surprise me. I wouldn't keep your head up like that if I were you. You'll screw up your neck."  
>"Fine, get off me so I can sit up."<br>"But you're comfy."  
>"Rin, I don't care." Karin huffed, got off him and sat up.<br>"Tōsh?" Tōshirō looked at her, telling her to continue. "You don't work too well in the mornings do you?" Tōshirō cocked his head ever so slightly to the side.  
>"Why do you say that?"<br>"Because I would've thought that you'd freak out if I was lying all over you. Either that or you've grown really comfortable around me." Tōshirō didn't dare to comment. Luckily Orihime entered the room telling the pair that breakfast was ready.

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><p><strong>What do you guys think? To be honest I wasn't going to stick the whole 'Karin is skinny' stuff originally, but I figured that just fluff, fluff anf fluff would get boring, especially when the start kinda promised more action (which will happen). Plus, if I didn't include it, it would've turned into another awkward chapter XD I know Orihime is a little OOC, but I would hope that by the age of 19 she'd grow up a little bit. Plus she's used to depending on Ichigo (well she's kinda had to) so I reckon a year or so away from him would let to her learning to fend for herself. (Hey last time she was away from him for a long time she slapped Ulquiorra XD) So yeah, I hope this chapter was ok and that you guys enjoyed it. ^^<strong>


	4. Shopping, then WAR

**Ok crappy title I know, but I couldn't think of anything else. I really didn't intend for this chapter to get so long! But it was so easy to write! I wrote this entire chapter in about 3/4 hours XD I feel like I've really gotten into the story now. I had so much fun with this, especially at the end. XD I'm glad all of you are enjoying this story. At the moment my most popular fic is the HitsuKarin one called 'Unecpected' which shocks me to be honest. XD I wrote that when I was 12. So I'm kinda hoping that this will take over this one in terms of popularity XD Hope you all enjoy reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

**Review replies:**

**Bleached-Whale:** I'm so glad you like it! I tried my best XD As much as it would annoy Tōshirō he would get sort of childish but not quite around Karin. That's just the way he is XD**  
>Every shadow has its twin: <strong>Thank you so much! I'm happy that you enjoyed it!**  
>1BleachFan: <strong>I felt sorta depressed when I was writing it. I was sitting there wondering if I could write it (and pull it off). Oh Ichigo. Hahaha, you'll see. I feel really good about this story and I have summer holidays pretty damn soon, so there's no way I'm giving up on it! =D**  
>Forbidden-Hanyou: <strong>Thank you! I'm glad you like it! I still haven't gotten round to watching your YouTube vids, but as you should be able to see, I've read your fanfic =P**  
>MeteorLeopard: <strong>Aww thank you! ^^ I'm so glad you enjoy it! *happy dances*

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><p>Chapter 4: Shopping, then WAR<p>

Karin (and Tōshirō) were spending their last days in Soul Society. While Karin was still there they had to place extra and stronger barriers around Aizen. They estimated they'd only last a week, but it didn't matter as much if Karin wouldn't be there, besides forming these barriers really took it out of the Kido corps. They couldn't think of anyone else that Aizen would want to or be able to take over. Well, everyone has been watching Hinamori closely, but it would be idiotic for Aizen to use her, AGAIN. Everyone in Seireiti knows she's had severe problems before. It didn't take Karin long to adjust to the idea that she was moving in 4 days. In fact, she was strangely ok with it. Maybe because everyone wanted her to, for her safety. Maybe because she was moving away with Tōshirō, someone who she was very comfortable with, even if it wasn't quite reciprocated, although he did appreciate and enjoy her company. That much she could tell. Karin knew there would be some things that they'd have to work out when they get there. Just simple things, like for example would he be able to tolerate her playing music while they worked? She worked better with music, but Tōshirō had no idea, having not really listened to music properly before. It was only simple things, but it was those simple things that made all of this strange and new. She's moved before afterall. To be honest, she couldn't wait to escape from the constant threat of Aizen, but she was dreading leaving her family. Most of all Yuzu. Sure they were completely different but they were ALWAYS there for each other. And now all of sudden she wouldn't be there any more. Saying that, Yuzu will always be just a phone call away. Her whole family would be. Soul Society had promised that.

Meanwhile Tōshirō was having different worries. He's been so used to being in solitude that just the thought of living with someone else unnerved him. Especially because it was Karin. They already had a great relationship. While they might not actually actually know much about each other, they were incredibly close, or at least Tōshirō thought so. But he didn't want to go and wreck the relationship they had. If they got closer, great. More than great, he'll have someone he can always go to, which is something he has been lacking for many years now. But what if it drove them apart? Obviously no one else thought so, otherwise they probably wouldn't have chosen him to be the one to move with Karin, because the blow of losing a close friendship like that really wouldn't help either of them in this situation. But it still worried him. What made it worse is he knew that if anyone was going to mess up their friendship, it was him. Tōshirō envied Karin. She always seemed to make friends easily, although they might not last too long. She knew what she was doing. She understood him, whereas he wasn't so sure he understood her. She was so different to any other girl he'd ever met. He didn't want to ruin it. Tōshirō's rather depressing thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He politely allowed the knocker to come into his office.

"Good afternoon, captain Hitsugaya!" Tōshirō looked up the second he recognised the voice.  
>"Ah captain Ukitake, how are you? Feeling a little better I assume?"<br>"Better than I was, thank you for asking. But I was wondering how you felt." Tōshirō looked confused for a moment. He wasn't sick.  
>"How I feel?"<br>"Of course. It must be scary, moving to the Living World so soon." Tōshirō sighed slightly.  
>"Oh, that. It's not that bad actually. It's just...different." Ukitake smiled, glad that Tōshirō was opening up to him, even if it was only slightly. He believed that Tōshirō could do with someone to support him right now, even if Ukitake was the one who was usually supported. Ukitake sat down gently on one of Tōshirō's sofas and continued the conversation.<br>"Well, how is it different?" Tōshirō put down his paperwork and focused on Ukitake.  
>"It's hard to say really. It's as exciting as it is scary."<br>"Oh so you're excited too?"  
>"You could say that I guess."<p>

Suddenly there was a quick knock on the door which opened shortly afterwards, revealing a slightly out of breath Karin, who shut the door again almost immediately after stepping inside Tōshirō's office. Tōshirō raised an eyebrow at her action and spoke.  
>"Rin? Why are you hiding in my office?" Karin sarcastically laughed for a second or two, then stared at Tōshirō.<br>"That damned vice-captain of yours is trying to take me SHOPPING. As in clothes shopping. I figured that her workplace would be the one place she wouldn't dare go to find me." Tōshirō had to stop himself from smiling.  
>"Oh hey captain Ukitake! I didn't see you there. How are you?" Ukitake smiled pleasantly at Karin.<br>"I'm fine, although I feel like I should be the one asking that." Karin grinned before Tōshirō interrupted.  
>"Don't mind her captain Ukitake. She just has a huge irrational hatred for clothes shopping." Karin glared at Tōshirō.<br>"Irrational!"  
>"Yes Rin, irrational."<br>"Tōsh, she wants to take you too."  
>"WHAT! You're kidding right?" Karin smirked and tried to shake her head innocently. (Unfortunately over the years acting innocently was becoming harder and harder for Karin) Meanwhile Ukitake had to stop himself from laughing. He found the interaction between the two teenagers outstanding. He was happy that they were so close, but he honestly had no idea that they were THIS close. They weren't even referring to each other with honorifics, in fact they were just using nicknames. Ukitake interrupted their worrying over shopping.<p>

"I see you two have gotten much closer recently." Both Tōshirō and Karin turned to face Ukitake, slightly surprised at the comment. Karin scratched the back of her head lightly while speaking.  
>"I guess we have, huh?" Tōshirō simply nodded, slightly embarrassed that Ukitake picked up on their friendship so quickly. Ukitake just continued smiling.<br>"I'm glad. It'll make moving that bit easier, right?" Karin smiled and nodded while Tōshirō just nodded. "Well anyway you two, I think I'll take my leave. Good luck with your shopping problem." He was about to leave the office when he turned his head and said "Oh and captain Hitsugaya, I'll probably come and visit you on your last day here." Tōshirō nodded and waved him goodbye. Karin got his attention by pulling on his sleeve.

"Oi, what are we going to do about shopping." Tōshirō sighed.  
>"Ugh I don't know. But we've established that neither of us want to go with Matsumoto?" Karin pouted while replying.<br>"Yes, but I feel kinda mean for doing so."  
>"I know Rin, but you hate shopping at the best of times, and I know that Matsumoto would just make it worse considering your completely different tastes." Karin grinned causing Tōshirō to question her.<br>"What's with the smile?"  
>"I have an idea. I doubt she would get in the way."<br>"Care to elaborate before I retire?" Karin poked him.  
>"Due you even get to retire? Look at Yamamoto, he's still working."<br>"Good point. But you know what I mean." Karin grinned and sat on the sofa with one leg over the other, looking up at Tōshirō.  
>"Us two go shopping together. Just us. Neither of us annoy the other."<br>"We don't know that until we go shopping together. But seriously, just us?" Karin cocked her head to the side questioningly.  
>"Why not? We'll be doing everything else together soon enough anyway. Although...would Yamamoto give us permission?" Tōshirō nodded, crossed his arms and leaned against the closest wall.<p>

"I already talked to him about it. He understood that they two of use are going to need an entire new wardrobe, and he currently thinks the more you're in the Living World, the better. He doesn't like you being anywhere near Aizen." Karin huffed and crossed her arms. Tōshirō noticed that she hated whenever Aizen was brought up.  
>"Neither do I. As much as I hate to be away from my family and it kinda sucks that the second I adjust to living in this world they send me back to the Living World, but I'm slowly changing to hating it here. I don't want to hate it. The people are great, and I almost feel like I belong here more than the Living World but I can't stay here while Aizen is here. I know he keeps trying to find me. I can sense it." Karin looked down at her lap when she said the last sentence.<p>

Tōshirō walked across the room at sat next to her. "Don't worry Rin. We'll be out of here soon, and you can phone anyone here whenever you want. Well...I wouldn't do it in the early hours of the morning, but hey, you can still phone." Karin smiled.  
>"That's true. I know I probably shouldn't be excited, and I shouldn't be happy about leaving this place with all of the people I love being here. But...I can't wait."<br>"There's nothing wrong with that Rin. I know it might feel wrong, but isn't it better to be excited than hating it?" Karin nodded and let Tōshirō continue. "Great. So, when do you want to go shopping?" Karin shrugged.  
>"Whenever's easiest for you Tōsh." Tōshirō got up and checked his deadlines.<br>"Well if I finish this paperwork by tonight we can go tomorrow." Karin brightened up a bit. _'Probably at the thought of being away from Aizen for a day'._  
>"That sounds great." Karin quickly checked her watch. "Crap, if I'm late for dinner Yuzu will eat me alive. See ya Tōsh!" Tōshirō waved her goodbye and got to work on the remaining paperwork straight away.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

All three Kurosaki 'children' were sitting at the dinner table, eating. Isshin was currently off somewhere doing some sort of clinic work. Yuzu decided to speak up and start a conversation.  
>"So Karin, have you figured out when you're going to get all the clothes you need? And with who?" Karin nodded and finished her mouthful.<br>"Yes, and thankfully I'm not going with Rangiku." Ichigo chuckled and joined in the conversation.  
>"That wouldn't have ended well."<br>"Exactly. In the end because Tōshirō needs clothes too we figured we'd just go together." Yuzu flashed a quick all-knowing grin and politely continued the conversation.  
>"That makes sen-" Ichigo interrupted Yuzu.<br>"You mean you're going with him! All alone! Shopping! Trying on clothes! As in getting in and out of clothes!" The twins just stared at him as if he was crazy, he stared back daring them to answer; and of course Karin was prepared to. She didn't back down from anybody, especially her older brother.  
>"Yep. And once we've finished shopping we figured we'd go to our apartment and fun all night long." Yuzu blushed, but laughed. Ichigo just glared at her.<br>"That's not funny Karin." Karin smirked.  
>"Oh I beg to differ Ichi-nii. Why are you so worked up? We're just friends. We're going to be living together for god's sake! The only reason we're going together is because both of us hate shopping but we thought it might be kinda bearable in each other's company. But please, excuse us for being normal." Ichigo had an irritated look on his face, but was forced to accept what was happening tomorrow. If he didn't Karin would either beat him into letting her, or just ignore him totally and he didn't really want that seeing as they only had 4, well now 3 days together until she left.<br>"Fine Karin, but if I hear that anything happened I'll-"  
>"Oh you'll what? You can't do anything. I need Tōshirō or else there's a huge risk that I'll die."<br>"There are more captains where he came from." Karin smirked.  
>"Idiot. I don't get on with any of them as well as I do with Tōshirō and beside, if you did try to hurt I don't think I could ever forgive you."<br>"Oh don't try to guilt trip me Karin."  
>"I believe I just did, and it works, so why wouldn't I? It's not my fault you don't want anything to touch or hurt or break your little sisters. Not that is ever going to happen. We're both stronger than you give us credit for."<p>

Ichigo sighed heavily and gave up. He knew how strong Karin was, how strong they both were. He really didn't want to admit it. They could both survive easily without him. In fact, that's exactly was Karin was going to do. He knew he wouldn't be able to change Karin's mind. He never was able. She's been incredibly headstrong since the age of 6. Ichigo knew she would be fine back in the Living World. Actually, she'd be better off. He knew she was better than safe with Tōshirō. He was a very capable shinigami, just young. Saying that, technically Ichigo was younger than him. And in the end Ichigo knew that if by some strange twist of fate the two did end up being together, it wouldn't be Tōshirō starting it. It would be Karin, which would mean she would be the one who wanted it, and how could he argue with that? Ichigo just didn't want to see her hurt. Or independent for that matter. It seemed to soon. She was only 14. But Ichigo reminded himself that he was only a year older when he took on the whole of Soul Society. He knew she was ready to go off on her own, and she was perfectly safe and happy with Tōshirō, it just hurt a little to let her go. But if he didn't, Karin would end up hating him. That's how you get all of the girls with 'daddy-issues' who'll jump into bed with any random guy; Ichigo REALLY didn't want that to happen. So he just sat there at the table joining in the conversation as if nothing was wrong. Well...nothing was wrong was there? But he will make sure that she was ok. He'd make sure he'd visit. Not an obsessive amount. Something reasonable. He just needed to make sure that she's happy enough...even though, he knew she would be...

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin squinted as she sat up on her bed. The sun had managed to peak through the curtains and wake her up. _'5:37? In the morning? Jeez.'_ Karin tried to go back to sleep for a good half hour but she couldn't manage it. She decided to get up and get dressed. After talking to Tōshirō on the phone yesterday they decided he'd meet her at her house again, but they had forgotten to decide a time. They almost always ended up going off on a tangent, making the conversation last for hours. Karin quickly sent him a text, hoping she wouldn't wake him up if he was still asleep. Karin searched at the back of her wardrobe, once again struggling to find something that vaguely fit. In the end she hat to settle for shorts (which were almost like hot-pants because of how much she had grown) and a t-shirt she remembered never wearing. The minute she put it on she noticed it fit her fine. _'That'll be why I never wore it then. It didn't fit me before.'_ She noticed that it made her shorts look even shorter. She contemplated changing, and then decided against it. She had a tendency to get a little frustrated when she shopped, which made her overheat, that and the fact that it was late July made Karin stick with what she was wearing. She quickly put her hair up in it's usual ponytail and put on her trainers. She glanced in the mirror briefly. She was happy, after a week and a half of eating properly and regularly again she seemed to be putting her weight back on. Her legs were fine anyway. She could still kinda see her ribs, but she was getting there. She went downstairs and made breakfast for herself and Yuzu. She would've made some for Ichigo too, but frankly he pissed her off last night. She knew he didn't mean for it to come across the way it did, but it had still annoyed her. It felt like he didn't trust either of the teens at all. To be honest Karin was tempted to try and get together with Tōshirō just to annoy him. But that was childish, and she wouldn't ever use anyone like that, least of all Tōshirō. Karin smiled at her sister when she came downstairs.

"You're making breakfast?" Karin nodded and gestured Yuzu to sit down.  
>"I figured I should, seeing as I woke up first, which is actually a miracle. Besides, you do way too much for us anyway." Yuzu beamed at her twin. The two finished eating their food and Karin put the dishes into the sink. Yuzu answered the door when someone knocked. She opened it to find Tōshirō. "Oh hi Hitsugaya-kun!" Tōshirō nodded and replied.<br>"Please tell me she's actually up this time." Yuzu giggled.  
>"She actually is! It's a miracle Hitsugaya-kun!" Karin came over half-shouting.<br>"Oi, stop ganging up on me." Yuzu pouted.  
>"But Karin, you said it yourself!" Karin rolled her eyes.<br>"You ready to go Rin?" Karin nodded.  
>"Sure, let me just grab my purse and my bag." Tōshirō stepped into the house and lightly shouted to her as she jogged away from him.<br>"You don't need your purse, Soul Society is paying." Karin quickly grabbed her bag and came back to the front door.  
>"You serious? I know they were paying for the apartment and the furnishings, but clothes too?" Tōshirō nodded.<br>"Of course. We wouldn't have to get them if we weren't being moved by Soul Society, so they're paying for it." Karin grinned.  
>"Well that already makes this shopping trip considerably nicer than all of the others I've been on."<br>"Yeah yeah, lets just go before Matsumoto wakes up and tried to come with us last minute." Karin agreed and the pair waved to Yuzu and left.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō and Karin were fairing surprisingly well. Neither of them were in a bad mood, but they did find shopping tedious and too hot for their tastes. Well in July anyway. They had managed to get a couple of outfits each so far. They were currently in the men section of a rather large department store, seeing if they could find any nice shirts or t-shirts. Tōshirō was looking at all of the different shirts with a blank look, he didn't really have any idea what he was doing. Quite frankly, Karin was doing most of the shopping he just tried things on and told her if he liked it or not. But she seemed fine with this arrangement so Tōshirō wasn't going to complain.

"Tōsh, I do believe I have just found the perfect shirt for you." Tōshirō looked over to Karin and saw her holding a black shirt, but she was a little too far away for him to see the detail. There was defnintely some sort of embroidery on there though. Tōshirō walked over to Karin to see the shirt that she seemed to be happy with. Upon further inspection he discovered that it was a black shirt with a dragon embroidered on the right of it,(so that when you wear it, it appears on your left) in silver thread. When Karin spotted the tell-tale signs of him liking it she practically forced him into a fitting room.

Tōshirō liked it to be honest. He did think it suited him, and it fit nicely. He pulled back the curtain and left Karin see what it looked like on him. She smiled when she did see. "It suits you! I'm glad." Tōshirō nodded.  
>"Yes, although the dragon seems almost cliché."<br>"Shut up Tōsh. You know you like it. Besides, it makes you look..." She hesitated for a moment, "Older, more mature." Tōshirō raised his eyebrow.  
>"That wasn't the word you were originally going to use was it?"<br>"No, but you don't want to hear the original...Actually...if you're anything like me you want to hear it more now."  
>"Pretty much."<br>"Well, tough. Just forget about it."

They proceeded to buy the shirt and continued with their shopping. While they were browsing the shops Tōshirō had noticed that Karin had managed to develop a liking to more gothic and punkish sort of clothing. He wouldn't have cared except he noticed that a lot of those type of clothes were revealing. He started watching what she was trying on more carefully. When she picked up a pair of black shorts with handcuffs he almost had a heart attack. She went to try them on straight away. When Karin pulled back the curtain and revealed herself Tōshirō felt like he almost died the second time that day. They fit her perfectly, and I mean perfectly. They complimented her figure incredibly well, and Tōshirō wasn't sure he had even noticed she had one until just then. He noticed that the handcuffs were attached to a long chain which acted like a belt, the handcuffs being the clasp in this case. Except the handcuffs weren't at the centre of the front like the clasp of a belt usually would be. They were to the right of her back, drawing even more attention to Karin's rear. When she asked Tōshirō what he thought his mouth went dry. And he had absolutely no idea why. It scared the hell out of him. Not because he didn't know what was causing it, because he knew EXACTLY what was causing it. Karin was pretty much single-handedly waking up his hormones. There was no way of stopping it, and he was going to be living with her. In the end he simply nodded in answer to Karin's question, which was apparently good enough for her as she ended up buying them. Much to Tōshirō's horror.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The duo made their way back to the apartment, utterly spent from shopping. But it was a successful trip, so they couldn't complain. They did decide to give it an hour or two before they ventured back to Soul Society though. Both of them wanted to recover a bit before having to actually do something that took effort. Tōshirō found it amazing that this had tired him out more than training, but he felt Karin was sort of to blame for that. Both of them were sitting casually on the sofa watching TV. Tōshirō was trying to get the image of Karin wearing those shorts out of his head. It really wasn't going to do him any good. "You know, Rin, you never told me what you really thought of that shirt."  
>"You know Tōsh, I never will."<br>"Why not?" Karin shrugged.  
>"Because." Tōshirō poked her lightly in her side.<br>"That's not an answer." Karin sat up more and faced him, sticking her tongue out at him.  
>"I don't care. I'm not telling you. It's not like you really gave me an answer on those shorts." Tōshirō dead-panned. <em>'Oh look. My plan of getting that image out of my head just flew out of the window.'<em>  
>"Rin, I'm a guy. They're just shorts." Karin rolled her eyes and muttered something about being a typical man. Tōshirō was so glad she accepted that as an answer, a typical answer too.<br>"I still want to know though."  
>"Tōsh, I don't care." Tōshirō sighed and just continued watching TV, and started to fidget slightly. Which irritated Karin immensely. "Tōsh are you that frustrated with me not telling you that you're going to fidget the entire time?" That wasn't Tōshirō's idea at all. He hadn't really noticed he was fidgeting to be honest. He was getting bored. But he knew he could use this to his advantage, because it did annoy him when people didn't tell him things, especially when they were almost going to say it. So he decided to play along.<p>

"Well kinda. I like knowing things. Knowledge is a useful thing." Karin roller her eyes and sighed.  
>"I suppose you aren't a child prodigy for nothing, huh?" Tōshirō shrugged. "I'm still not going to tell you though."<br>"Damn you're annoying sometimes." Karin smirked.  
>"Get used to it." It was then when Karin noticed it was getting dark. "Damn...how late is it Tōsh?" Tōshirō looked at his watch.<br>"It's coming up on 10." Karin sighed.  
>"That seems kinda late to just go back home and barge in. But if I don't go home tonight Ichi-nii won't let me hear the end of it." Tōshirō had a questioning expression on his face.<br>"Ugh, he was practically convinced that we'd end up getting up to something."  
>"What do you mean getting up to something?" Karin sighed.<br>"Well, sex mainly." Tōshirō's eyes widened slightly, Karin's statement surprising him.  
>"Blunt as always I see." Karin shrugged. "To be honest Rin, you don't seem to excited about going home."<br>"...I know."  
>"If you don't want to go home, don't go. Just call them." Karin smiled at Tōshirō. He knew she was basically looking for permission. She didn't want to feel bad for staying here. Tōshirō didn't think she should feel bad, but clearly she did. To Tōshirō it was obvious she feared Aizen. He didn't blame her either. After a long phone conversation with Ichigo, Karin had gotten permission to stay here with Tōshirō. She smiled slightly and lent against Tōshirō, her head fitting onto his shoulder. He turned his head slightly to look at her. "You ok?" Karin nodded slightly.<br>"Just tired."

After a couple minutes of comfortable silence Karin spoke up. "You're still wondering aren't you?"  
>"...Maybe" Karin grinned.<br>"Sometimes you really are childish."  
>"Says the girl who stick her tongue out at me ALL the time." Karin rolled her eyes for what felt like the 59344025th time that night.<br>"What would you rather me do? Poke you? Sticking me tongue out in the end is nicer for everybody." Tōshirō laughed quietly and briefly.  
>"That's your reasoning?" Karin sat up, cross-legged, facing Tōshirō.<br>"Never mind that. You laughed! You actually laughed!" Tōshirō shifted so he was facing her too.  
>"I'm not incapable you know" Karin couldn't stop grinning.<br>"Yeah, but I've never heard you laugh before. And I was the one who made you laugh. I think that's a huge accomplishment on my part."  
>"Don't you think you're over doing it?" Karin shook her head.<br>"Not at all. It's defnintely an achievement! Your laugh's pretty cute by the way." Tōshirō's eyes widened pretty much straight away. Karin giggled. "You're so shy! It's adorable." Tōshirō dead-panned.  
>"I am not adorable." Karin shrugged.<br>"Not all of the time, but sometimes you are. Deal with it. Anyway, I'm gonna go get changed into pyjamas."  
>"You're not going to take a shower?"<br>"No, I will in the morning. Why?" Tōshirō got up from the sofa.  
>"I might as well take one now then." Karin nodded and got up too; the pair of them went to their respective rooms.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

When Tōshirō came out of his room all dry, clean and dressed he found Karin lying all over the sofa. "Comfortable?" Karin jumped at his voice.  
>"I suppose you want me to move?"<br>"It would be preferable." She sat up and made room for Tōshirō. "You suddenly seem a lot more awake Rin." Karin nodded.  
>"I'm weird like that. Around evening or night time I wake up a bit more then I usually am in the day. I think my body is trying to be nocturnal. You seem more awake too."<br>"Showers are evil like that." Karin laughed.  
>"I see...Ugh, Tōsh. Tomorrow's gonna suck." Tōshirō looked at her.<br>"Why?"  
>"Are you kidding? He'll probably end up lecturing me about 'boys and their ways'."<br>"Seriously? Because you're staying overnight with me? He does realise we're going to be living together full-time in a couple of days right." Karin nodded.  
>"He does. He just started freaking out a bit when I told him we were going shopping together. He jumped from the idea of shopping to trying on clothes to both of use taking of clothes and then he went all big brotherish on me." Tōshirō rolled his eyes.<br>"Your brother's insane sometimes." Karin nodded.  
>"Tell me about it. I'm glad he didn't come with us today. I never would've been able to get those shorts, and I love those shorts."<br>"I never would've guessed."Karin grinned.  
>"But come on, they're cool! They're kinda mild Visual Kei if you think about it..."<br>"Visual Kei?"  
>"Never mind Tōsh, I'll introduce you to the concept later at some point." Tōshirō nodded slightly.<br>"They do suit you though." Karin huffed.  
>"See! Why didn't you say that at the store?"<br>"Why don't you tell me what you really think of that shirt."  
>"Oh screw you Tōsh, screw you." she replied in a jokish tone. Tōshirō smirked.<p>

After watching a show or two on the TV Karin started to feel sleepy. She stretched and got up from the sofa, Tōshirō watching her movements. "I'm going to bed, I didn't realise how tired I was." Tōshirō smiled slightly and nodded.  
>"Goodnight Rin."<br>"Goodnight. Oh and Tōsh?" She stopped at the living room doorway, "That shirt did make you look older and mature, but the first word that sprung to my mind was sexy." And with that Karin left the room. Tōshirō glared at her, almost trying to burn holes through her. _'She planned that. She fucking planned that.'_ Tōshirō sighed and fell back onto the sofa. He doubted he would get any sleep tonight. He couldn't help but wonder if Karin knew the effects those shorts had on him. If she didn't, then he was just going to have to suck it up and deal with it. If she did know, that made her practically evil in his eyes; of course, if she was going to do that, then he had to fight back. He remembered Karin talking about him starting a war. Maybe this is what she was talking about? Tōshirō didn't really care, but he knew he was going to fight back. He wouldn't let her have the last laugh.

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><p><strong>LET THE TOSHIRO TORTURE COMMENCE. I felt like I was torturing characters the entire chapter to be honest XD This chapter was th emost fun to write by far, what does that say about me? XD (And typically this chapter will probably end up being the least liked chapter or something, simply because it's the one I most enjoyed. My life sucks like that XD) And yes, the two will be living together by next chapter. I cannot bloody wait to write it. XD So what do you guys think? Great? Sucked? Have suggestions for the next chapter? Questions for this chapter? Reviews are very much welcomed! =D<br>**


	5. Adjusting

**Hey guys! Sorry it took me longer to update this time round, it took me ages to write this and other things got in the way (Like the new Harry Potter movie XD) It is the longest chapter by far, so I hope that makes up for it. XD Thank you so much for all of the story alerts, favourite stories, favourite author and author alerts! And the amount of review I got for the last chapter made me really happy. XD  
><strong>

**Review replies:  
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**Every shadow has its twin: **Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed the last chapter! But I can't tell you that! Spoilers! =P**  
><strong>**Bleached-Whale: **Your review made me so happy! XD I practically squealed. I'm so glad your enjoying the fic ^^The whole nocturnal thing happens to me too, ALL THE TIME. XD  
><strong>Forbidden-Hanyou:<strong> I'm glad you found it funny, that's what I was aiming for, but I had no idea if I actually achieved that. XD I also checked out your YouTube accounts, some of the videos are really good. ^^  
><strong>RAQUEL9615: <strong>Good! I'm glad you do!  
><strong>Bara-san: <strong>I'm sure you'll like this chapter. A LOAD of stuff happens. =D  
><strong>BaS23: <strong>*thumbs up* I hope you enjoy this one ^^  
><strong>AeroRace: <strong>Thanks ^^ I know, I hate that. I try to make it as easy as possible without writing their names in every single line and without comprimising the English language. I've never written a fanfic with so much dialogue before, but I'm working on it ^^  
><strong>Cittyno2: <strong>Oh yes, the Tōshirō torture. Oh god this chapter, poor him, especially the end. I'm such a bitch. XD  
>1BleachFan: I would ask why you were up at 4:00 AM, but I do that too. XD That really sucks about your mum. Yes, Tōshirō does. XD Oh I think you'll like Karin in this chapter. I didn't initially plan to stick it in, so I kinda did a half talk. I hope you enjoy it. ^^<br>**Nightsparrow15: **Yes I was surprised too. I usually vaguely plan a scene out, start writing it, and then the characters tell me pretty much straight away that my plan is not where the scene is going. So that's how THAT happened. XD I'm glad you like the interactions! That's the thing I try hardest at. There's more Matsumoto in this chapter, and there will be more in following chapters! ^^ Hope you enjoy this chapter ^^  
><strong>FilinoFang: <strong>I'm glad you like it! I hope you like this chapter too! ^^

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><p>Chapter 5: Adjusting<p>

Karin sighed heavily when she had woke up. It was her last day in Soul Society, Tōshirō's too. It was weird. She felt similar to this last time she moved too. Her emotions were nothing out of the norm. Karin sat up in her bed and looked out of the window, surprised that the day she'd see the scenery of Rukongai for the last time had come so quick. What was she even supposed to do today? Spend the entire day with her family? Say goodbye to everyone? Try to do a mixture of both? She had no idea...Until Yuzu decided to enter her bedroom with breakfast and information about a going away party that was apparently happening at the 10th squad. Karin smirked when she heard about the party, she knew full well that Tōshirō was not the one who organised it and he certainly didn't approve it. She wondered if he even knew it was taking place yet. After finishing her breakfast in bed while having a pleasant conversation with her twin she got dressed and walked downstairs. Isshin jumped out at Karin when she reached the last stair and she ended up punching him in the face as a reflex. She almost felt bad, seeing as it was the last day they'd all be together as a family and punching her father in the face didn't really count as family bonding, but if the idiot was going to and try to attack his daughter then so be it. Ichigo watched the scene intently, rather amused. While his father was whining to a poster about how his daughter had grown up with great abilities but was so mean to daddy he spoke loud enough for the whole family to hear.

"Dad, enough. Who's ready to play football!" Karin turned round to face her brother.  
>"We're all playing football together?" Ichigo smiled at her confused expression and slung his arm around her shoulder.<br>"Yeah! Now come on, I never thought I'd see the day you'd hesitate to play football." Karin grinned at her brother. It was an incredibly sweet gesture. To her it was anyway. A lot of people would think that a family playing a sport together is normal, and true enough each member of the family had been involved with some sort of sport team at some point, but Karin was the only one who really liked football...Well, Ichigo didn't mind playing it, but it wasn't his first choice. The idea that her whole family was playing the game with her on her last day made Karin amazingly happy. It was moments like these she knew she'd miss them, as strange as they were.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The family of four had managed to play football for a good hour or so before they all started to get tired (especially Yuzu). The heat really didn't help. Isshin went back into the house to do some work and Yuzu had started on cooking lunch, determined to make it great, and full of Karin's favourite foods. This left Karin and Ichigo sitting outside on a bench in their back garden. Karin sighed. "It's a shame I won't have a back garden any more. I know we didn't have one when we were all living in the Living World, but I got used to it." Ichigo smiled.  
>"Always thinking about sport huh?" Karin nodded.<br>"You know me." The two sat in silence for a few moments before Ichigo gathered his thoughts and voiced them.  
>"Karin, how do you feel about moving?" Karin glanced at her brother.<br>"I've made my peace with it."  
>"No, I mean with Tōshirō." Karin looked at her brother without turning her head. She couldn't help but feel like this was a trick question of some sort.<br>"Why do you ask?"  
>"Because I'm your big brother. I want to know." Karin sighed. She wasn't sure how to explain this to him.<br>"To be honest Ichi-nii, it scared me a little at first, but now I don't really care. I feel comfortable with him."  
>"How comfortable?"<br>"Comfortable enough." Ichigo rolled his eyes slightly.  
>"Karin, that's not really an answer. Or at least not the answer I wanted."<p>

"Well what answer do you want? What do you want me to say? Ichi-nii he's my best friend, of course I've comfortable with him. We get on well. We make each other happy. Why is that a problem?" Ichigo took a deep breath and hung his head a bit while he rested his elbows on his knees.  
>"It's not. It's just weird for me. You're not little any more. You haven't been little for a while actually. Just promise me you'll be careful."<br>"What do you mean?"  
>"I mean I want you to watch yourself! Look I know your going to hate this next bit, but deal with it. Guys are guys ok? And it's not like you're unattractive. You take after mum for god's sake. I'm not saying it'll be Tōshirō. I'm saying that there's going to be at least one guy after you, and I need to know that you're prepared for that. I'm not going to ask you to not date at all or anything, because I might as well ask you to change your orientation to asexual, and I know you're not asexual. I'm just asking you to be careful when you do decide to...well...date. While there are plenty of great guys out there, there's also plenty of bad guys out there too." Karin smiled before replying.<br>"You're seriously that worried? Ichi-nii, I'm not going to lie. I don't even think about dating to be honest. It's not that I'm not interested or anything, I mean I can see plenty of people who I find attractive, but I'm the kind of person who can't even think about dating someone until I know them really well. And at that point if they think they can take advantage of me, then they're incredibly stupid, in which case I wouldn't date them at all! Trust me, I'll be fine." And with that, Karin got up from the bench to go help Yuzu with lunch. Ichigo sighed heavily and leant back on the bench, his hands behind his head. He wasn't sure if that put him at ease or not.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō was having a more 'laid back' day in comparison to Karin. Admittedly he still had to do a bit of paperwork in the morning, but that really didn't come as a surprise to him. He had been visited by quite a few shinigami during the day, including Shunsui, Unohana, Izuru and Hisagi, Hinamori, Yachiru, and of course Ukitake. Tōshirō cringed when Rangiku asked him to relax and get out of the office. He knew full well that meant she was planning something, and knowing her like he did, she was probably planning a party of sorts. But seeing as it was his last in Soul society for a little while, he decided to let her have her fun. Besides, it was actually impossible for him to end up being the one who had to clean it up, which was half of the reason Rangiku's little get-togethers annoyed him so much. He chose to use the couple of hours he had left until the inevitable party to visit his grandmother. He didn't know when the next time he'd see her would be.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Soon enough the part was taking place...well almost. Rangiku had decided to hold off the arrival of Karin and Tōshirō until most of the guests arrived. Karin didn't know exactly what to expect, she had only attended one of Rangiku's parties before, meanwhile Tōshirō knew exactly what to expect. A lot of people, a lot of alcohol and probably a lot of drinking games. Drinking games she'll probably try to get both Karin and himself involved in. He had a feeling that it was going to be a rough night.

Karin felt a little overwhelmed at all of the people at the party. She spotted tons of people who she knew, but she also saw plenty of people she didn't even recognise, people she assumed came along just because it was a party with alcohol. After half an hour Karin just had to escape. She wasn't great with people, especially drunk people and the rooms were getting increasingly hot with the body heat increasing. She made her way to the back of the 10th squad offices where there was a peaceful little area. To Karin it was practically a haven. She took a couple of deep breaths in the cold evening air and sat down next to the pond in the centre of the area. She took off her sandals, gently put her feet in the pond and closed her eyes. "It's nicer out here."  
>"I concur." Karin almost fell into the pond at the sound of Tōshirō's voice.<br>"Fuck, Tōsh. You scared the hell out of me." Tōshirō smirked and sat down next to her.  
>"I thought you didn't swear." Karin shook her head slightly.<br>"I almost never swear, mainly because Yuzu hates swearing and we're often in the presence of each other. But occasionally one or two will slip out when a certain someone decides to scare the living daylights out of me." Tōshirō smirked again.  
>"Sorry about that." Karin poked him in the side.<br>"You're not sorry!" Tōshirō shrugged, and Karin poked him again. "So Tōsh, how come you're not inside?"  
>"Probably the same reason you aren't inside."<br>"Ah, fair enough."  
>"Rin, I think we know each other too well." Karin laughed.<br>"And just think Tōsh, we're going to know each other even better when we start officially living together." Tōshirō nodded, "Oh and I should probably warn you, Ichi-nii might end up popping up randomly for surprise visits." Tōshirō rolled his eyes and sighed.  
>"Let me guess, to check that I'm not sexually violating his precious little sister in any way?" Karin smirked.<br>"Pretty much."  
>"Well I think I should warn you Rin, Matsumoto might just pop up for random visits too."<br>"To check that you are sexually violating me in any way?" Tōshirō turned his head round quickly to face Karin, in shock. "Oh come on Tōsh, it's Rangiku.  
>She's rooting for us to get together. Don't tell me you haven't noticed."<br>"I...I have nothing to say to that." Karin smirked and lent back so she was completely lying down, hands behind her head.  
>"Which means you have noticed. I mean, how could you not? She's blindingly obvious about it." Tōshirō stayed silent, really not sure on what to say. Karin sighed, lifted her feet from the pond and quickly dried them on her kimono sleeves. Tōshirō gave her a questioning look. Karin shrugged while smirking slightly.<br>"Hey you know me, forever not giving a fuck about such things like being a proper lady...Whatever the hell that is." She quickly slipped on her sandals and stood up, just to bend back down again, her face right next to Tōshirō's. "You ok Tōsh? You seem kinda out of it all of a sudden." Tōshirō just nodded and Karin left him to think, returning to the now hectic party.

Karin had no idea that the word 'hectic' was being giving a new definition while Tōshirō tried to sort his thoughts out. He knew there was absolutely no denying it any more. He was definitely attracted to Karin. And he could see about half a million things wrong with it. It was weird and new to him too. If he was honest, when he was younger and living in Rukongai, before Hinamori had even thought about becoming a shinigami, he always thought he would end up marrying her. Looking back at it now he blamed the fairytale sort of stories his grandmother used to tell him. You know the type, best friends fall in love, strangers fall in love at first sight, that sort of thing. How he ever thought that ever happened he had no idea. The thought of marrying Hinamori almost repulsed him now. Not that she was ugly or anything, on the contrary Tōshirō always thought she was beautiful. But because in the end, Tōshirō had always thought of her as a sister, whether he was aware of it at the time or not. Tōshirō marrying Hinamori was the same as Karin marrying Ichigo. Wrong beyond comprehension. When he had grown up a bit, especially during the lead up to becoming a captain, he never really thought about it. And when he did he always ended up on the conclusion that the chances of him ever getting married were incredibly low. And now all of a sudden he was actually attracted to someone, and it wasn't one of those silly kids crushes, which was made incredibly clear to him after he felt rather physically attracted to her after seeing her in a certain outfit. The certain outfit that she loved, so was probably going to wear often. God, Tōshirō was screwed.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The party ended like every other one did. A good dozen or so drunk people passed out in Tōshirō's office while the rest managed to get out of the room and get to god knows where before passing out. And, of course, the entire squad was a mess. Tōshirō didn't care. He wasn't the one who had to clear it up. It was strange though, being in his office for the last time. Well, the last time for now anyway. Before he left to pick up Karin he gently woke up Rangiku to say goodbye. He knew he'd see her again soon, after all, it was Rangiku, but it felt like it was going to be ages. As much as he'd hate to admit, the woman had grown on him and she had become something like an older sister or an aunt to him. He had to say goodbye to her before he left.

The farewell was weird for Tōshirō. He found it amazingly hard to say. But Rangiku caught on immediately and hugged him tighter than she'd ever hugged him before. Tōshirō swore he actually stopped breathing for a minute. He shunpoed out of Seireiti and saw Karin waiting for him outside of her house. He decided not to question it and gestured for them to go. The entire trip to the Living World was silent, not uncomfortable, just silent. It had dawned on both of them that they were actually leaving. Karin wasn't supposed to come back. Ever. Unless of course she gets to trained up to the point where Aizen has no effect on her. But the chances of that happening were pretty much nil. Aizen was incredibly powerful, and once he got into your head, it's pretty damn hard to get him out. The only time the two of them talked was when they got to the Uruhara Shoten, and that wasn't talking to each other. It wasn't that they didn't want to, but neither of them felt like they could. Neither of them would admit it ever, but both Karin and Tōshirō felt like they could break down at any moment, all they needed was the right trigger. And if anyone could set off either of them, it was each other. So they stayed silent.

When they entered their apartment they both sat down on the sofa, and after a few moments turned to face each other. Both broke into smiles. To them, being in their apartment on the first day of them living there was basically a victory. There were no tears or anything, they were currently calmly sitting down in THEIR apartment. They had succeeded. Karin finally plucked up the courage to break the silence. "We still need to decorate the bathroom, the kitchen and in here you know." Tōshirō couldn't help grinning. Of all the things she could've broken the silence with, she chose those words. Nothing meaningful or serious. She handled the situation perfectly. He was right; they both knew each other way too well, or at least she knew him way too well. He had come to the realisation that Karin could read him like a book about a week ago. The thought scared him, a lot. He hoped to high heaven that she couldn't tell that he had begun to feel attracted to her. It wouldn't end well. Actually, the general fact that Tōshirō was currently attracted to Karin wouldn't end well. At all. There was a constant argument going on in Tōshirō's head, with several sides. There was the 'What the fuck are you playing at' side, the 'She doesn't like you so it doesn't even matter' side, the 'Hey you never know' side, the 'Don't you dare ruin your current relationship' side and the 'Just bloody go for it' side. Well...there were more sides than that, but Tōshirō felt they were the main ones.

XxXxXxXxXxX

After a small discussion the two decided the first thing to do would be to go shopping for food at the local supermarket. Tōshirō secretly rejoiced at first when Karin had come out of her room dressed in loose jeans and a t-shirt. Then after about 2 seconds later he realised that it didn't matter what she wore any more. She always looked gorgeous in his eyes. Obviously, he doubted that simply her not wearing her shorts would make his new found feelings go away, but he did kinda wish for it to work that way. He was still new to this whole crush thing. It would take some time getting used to. He sincerely hoped that it wouldn't take him too long to learn to control his emotions. He's had decades to learn to control certain emotions, a good example being anger, but he didn't have decades to get used to this.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō was glad that there weren't many people in the supermarket, despite the size of it clearly catered for more visitors. Karin explained how a lot of people weren't even awake yet or spend their day with their family on Sundays to Tōshirō. To be honest Tōshirō was amazed by the supermarket. He had never seen so much food stacked up in the same place before, and there were so many different types! About a third of the food in the building was stuff he'd never even seen before; imports from different countries. He was glad Karin was with him, otherwise he wouldn't know what to buy. He knew how to cook traditional Japanese recipes, but that was it. He was intrigued by all of the new food he kept spotting, somewhat eager to try them out. However he had to point out that he had no idea how to cook it. "Rin, I know we said I'd cook at first and teach you, but I have no idea how to do that with half of this stuff." Karin smiled.  
>"I didn't expect you to. Don't worry about it, most stuff in here is already pre-made, especially the imported stuff. You just gotta stick it in the oven or a microwave."<br>"Really? That makes things quicker." Karin nodded.  
>"That's the main reason most food is like that these days. It's easier and quicker. A lot of people do stick with traditional stuff though. It is healthier that way. Although I don't see a problem with the quick way if you watch what you eat." Tōshirō nodded slowly, trying to take in this new information. The Living World was weird; he just let Karin pick up most of the food and he paid for it. (Well, Soul Society did.)<p>

Karin was glad that they were only a five minute walk away from the supermarket. How a week's worth of shopping for two people led to six shopping bags packed full she had no idea. But the cashier seemed to think that was about right for two people their age. Karin had actually forgotten how strong Tōshirō was. But it was easy when he was wearing his shinigami uniform. They were sort of baggy, and human clothes were much tighter, showing off Tōshirō's muscles. Karin was struggling with two bags while Tōshirō seemed to have no problem carrying four. When the two got home they put the food away pretty quickly, despite the small quarrels over what should go where. They were both currently sitting on the sofa, trying to figure out what to do for the rest of the day. They ruled out decorating pretty quickly, because both of them were pretty tired already; from shopping and the party last night. They didn't want to do nothing because they'd get bored and feel lazy. In the end Karin settled for showing Tōshirō how to use the computer and the internet; if nothing else she figured it would vaguely entertain her.

It surprised her how slow Tōshirō was typing, actually it had started to irritate her. Obviously he was knew to the internet, but she knew they had some computers in Soul Society. Was he really that new to a computer? _'It's kinda cute though.'_ Tōshirō was amazed by the internet, and the fact that you can do pretty much everything with it. Karin left the corner of the living room to go and hoover her room (it was still kinda dusty from when they had decorated it) leaving Tōshirō alone to play around with the internet. While Karin was hoovering her she started to think about Tōshirō. '_How is it possible for a guy to be so cute even though he's all muscle-y? Those two don't usually go together. Then again...he's still got a kid's face. Maybe when puberty hits him full force he'll look more- WHOAH CRAP.'_ Actually, she shouted those last two words out loud. While she was busy thinking she had failed to notice the huge spider crawling towards her pretty quickly until it had started crawling up the leg of her jeans. Tōshirō had come running when he heard Karin shout. His eyes widened slightly at the site of the spider (which he estimated to be about the size of Karin's hand) but he quickly went to her aid and got it off her. The two watched it run off to somewhere else in the apartment. Karin shivered slightly. "Those things have always given me the creeps." Tōshirō stared at her.  
>"Let me get this straight, spiders creep you out, yet you went out looking for hollows when you were 10?" Karin shrugged.<br>"I had gotten used to hollows."  
>"But not spiders?"<br>"Tōsh I've lived in a clinic all my life. They have to be super clean, so there's almost never any spiders in the house, ever. Besides, that thing was huge!" Karin said while indicating the size with her hands. Tōshirō almost laughed at the childlike answer.  
>"Well anyway, I think I've hoovered enough today," she walked out of her bedroom with Tōshirō following her, "How are you getting along with the computer?"<br>"Fine. The Google website is impressive." Karin giggled and nodded.  
>"Yeah, it can find anything." Tōshirō nodded too. Karin clapped her hands together.<br>"How about introducing you to music? It's gotta happen sooner or later, seeing as I listen to it pretty often." Tōshirō allowed her to go onto the computer. Karin sat cross-legged on the computer chair (one of those snazzy black leather office chairs) while Tōshirō stood a little to the left of the chair, leaning on it. Karin opened a website called YouTube, clicked on the search bar and turned her head towards Tōshirō. "What kind of music do you think you'd like? Pop? Rock? Foreign?"  
>"Rin those terms mean nothing to me."<br>"Oh, right. Sorry, it's just weird to think that you've never really experienced music before. It's kinda a big thing here." Tōshirō simply shrugged. "Well, I'll just play a range of things and then we can tell the sort of thing you like. I like tons of genres, so I'm sure we can find one we agree on.

Tōshirō was surprised when he realised the two of them had been listening to music for the past hour and a half. Well, music and Karin's running commentary, but he appreciated it, because a lot of the music videos confused him a bit. Karin was overjoyed when she noticed that they basically shared the same music taste. There was a few songs that she had shown Tōshirō that he wasn't a fan of, but he enjoyed the majority that she had shown him. Even the Kpop songs, which she was a little shy to show him considering quite a few of them were cheesy. He did seem to have a preference towards Jrock though, but Karin wasn't complaining. A lot of her favourite bands were in the Jrock genre. After the two cooked dinner together and ate, they both went to bed pretty quickly.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Both of them felt weird. Karin was used to it being louder, while Tōshirō was used to it being quieter. They had stayed overnight in the apartment alone with each other before, but it was different somehow. Now they were living together, now they had to deal with each other every day (not that is was a bad thing or anything), the entire thing would take a little time to get used to. Eventually Karin fell asleep, Tōshirō still hadn't. When it had hit quarter to midnight Tōshirō was starting to drift off a bit, that was until he heard someone knock on the door. Not wanting the visitor to wake up Karin he went to answer the door, groaning as he went. As soon as he opened the door he wanted to slam it shut. It was Ichigo. Tōshirō knew Karin had said he may show up at random times but at this ungodly hour? On their first night? Tōshirō felt like punching him, however he just settled for a glare. "Yes, Kurosaki?" Ichigo glared at him back. "Why aren't you wearing a shirt?"  
>"Huh? Oh that. It's late July. And I don't mix with the heat. What's the problem?"<br>"How do I know you're not doing something with Karin?" Tōshirō resisted the urge to roll his eyes.  
>"She's asleep."<br>"Prove it."  
>"Are you serious Kurosaki?" Ichigo just glared at him until Tōshirō gestured for him to come into the apartment. Tōshirō walked through the apartment with Ichigo following him closely. Tōshirō pointed towards a door. "There. That's Karin's bedroom. Now if you want to check on her, be my guest. Just allow me to stand back. I don't feel like getting my heart ripped right out of my chest because I disturbed her sleep." Ichigo rolled his eyes and quietly opened the door, revealing Karin sleeping peacefully on her bed. Tōshirō looked at Ichigo with an expression that seemed to say 'I told you so'. Ichigo huffed and closed the door.<p>

"Fine. You're lucky this time."  
>"What do you mean I'm lucky this time? Nothing is ever going to happen between us. Why do people seem so convinced that something will!" Karin<br>suddenly opened her bedroom glaring at the two guys.  
>"I'd like to know that too, however I'm more interested in why you two saw no problem with starting an argument right outside my fucking door. When<br>I'm trying to sleep. At midnight. Actually, Ichi-nii what are you even doing here?"  
>"I thought I'd check up on you."<br>"AT MIDNIGHT!" Ichigo seemed a little embarrassed, and almost a little nervous.  
>"Well I had to make sure you were ok!"<br>"Oh yes, I had forgotten about the huge risks bedsheets cause. Why wouldn't I be ok! And I swear, if your answer has anything to do with Tōshirō I'm going to kick you out right now." Ichigo tensed up a little; he didn't appear to have an answer. Karin rolled her eyes at her brother's behaviour. "Ugh whatever. Ichi-nii, do you wanna stay here overnight or are you planning on going back to Soul Society?"  
>"I can't go back until the morning." Karin sighed.<br>"Fine, you can stay in my room and Tōshirō and I will stay in his room." This statement shocked both of the males, causing them to reply at the same time.  
>"WHAT!" Karin smirked.<br>"Hey Ichi-nii, you brought this upon yourself. We'll be in the opposite room so you can hear everything we do and say. I can guarantee you that you won't hear anything you don't want to hear, then you'll be forced to accept that you can actually trust us. Believe it or not, just because two teenagers are in the same room together does not mean they had to have sex. Besides, Rukia slept in the same room as you for like a year!" Ichigo had absolutely no argument, and Tōshirō couldn't argue either because it would look suspicious. Ichigo gave up trying to resist and admitted that he had to let this happen. (Mainly because if he didn't Karin would actually eat him alive.) Not that Ichigo was planning on sleeping that night. He would listen, the entire night, just in case the two were up to something.

While Karin had said that Ichigo could hear everything (she stressed the point that It was an apartment college students could afford, so of course the walls were thin) that was actually not the case. As far as Ichigo was concerned the two argued who was sleeping on the bed and who was sleeping on the floor and then fell asleep pretty quickly. Unbeknownst to Ichigo the two were wide awake and still talking...well whispering. Tōshirō and Karin were both sitting cross-legged on his bed, they both fit on easily as Tōshirō had a double bed. "I just don't understand Ichi-nii. He tells me to look after myself, then he just barges in claiming he had to make sure I was ok. That doesn't make any sense." Tōshirō agreed. "It's just annoying you know? It'd be nice to be free to make your own decisions one in a while."  
>"I know Rin. Considering it's now two o'clock in the morning, do you think we should get some sleep?"<br>"Fine, but I feel bad. You shouldn't be on the floor. It's your room." Tōshirō shrugged.  
>"Yes well...you're the guest of my room?" Karin had to bury her face in her hands so her laughing wasn't so loud.<br>"You fail sometimes. It's not like there isn't enough room, it's a double bed for god's sake."  
>"Are you suggesting we sleep in the same bed?" Karin smirked.<br>"Awww Tōsh! You're blushing!"  
>"It's dark! How can you tell!"<br>"You just told me. What are you called again? Child prodigy was it?" Tōshirō poked her.  
>"Oh shut up."<br>"Hey, you were blushing."  
>"Hey, you thought I looked sexy."<br>"Hey, you still ARE blushing."  
>"No I'm not Rin. Besides you can't see my face properly." Karin got closer to Tōshirō her nose practically nanometres away from Tōshirō's.<br>"Now I can. And you're blushing." Tōshirō rolled his eyes.  
>"What do you expect if you get so close to me?" Karin got closer to the point where their noses were actually touching, and whispered as quietly as she could.<br>"Oh? That would imply you have the hots for me or something." Tōshirō couldn't speak, she was just so damned close! The only place he could look was her eyes, which were staring right back at him, daring him to answer. He wanted to answer, but he had no idea what to say. He felt like he'd be wasting an opportunity if he didn't. He couldn't bring himself to speak, so Karin continued instead. "You're not denying it." She'd caught onto him, the shock of her noticing allowed him to speak.  
>"And yet you're not backing away."<br>"Maybe I like you too Tōsh."  
>"Then what are we doing right now?"<br>"...Dancing around the fact that we both like each other for no actual reason, which is pointless."

Karin kissed him the second she stopped talking, but it barely lasted half a second. Karin was nervous. She had liked Tōshirō for at least two months by now. She was just much better at hiding then Tōshirō was. And now all of a sudden it was actually happening. They both liked each other. They had known each other for years. They barely argued, and when they did it was over something pointless and was almost always quickly resolved. A relationship would work. Karin always knew that a relationship between the two would work, but she never thought it would happen because she never thought Tōshirō would like her. But now it was happening. It was actually happening. And to think all it took was her moronic brother barging into the apartment. She had to remember to thank him at some point, maybe a couple years from now.

Tōshirō was in shock. Karin had actually kissed him. True, it was awkward, shy and quick, but from his observations in life, most first kisses were like that. He didn't care, what the kiss was like to be honest. He was struggling to comprehend that Karin had kissed him. When he saw the worried expression on Karin's face he knew he had to react quickly, otherwise she's think she made a mistake. So despite how sick and scared he felt, he kissed her gently back, again lasting less than a second. From anyone else's point of view it would've been adorable. But Karin realised that she was rather displeased with how slow things were going. So she decided to take things into her own hands. (Like a true Kurosaki.) She changed her position from sitting cross-legged to sitting on the back of her feet, making it easier for her to lean forward. Tentatively she placed her hands on his shoulders, causing him to look up at her, watching her face. She leaned forward, as she got closer she closed her eyes, not being able to take the intensity of Tōshirō's eyes. When Tōshirō caught on to what she was doing, he leaned forward slightly and closed his eyes too. When their lips met he found that his hands naturally went to hold Karin at her waist, while Karin's hands moved from his shoulders to his back. The kiss didn't just feel right, it felt like it actually HAD to happen. Tōshirō almost went crazy when Karin bit his lower lip slightly. Eventually the two broke apart, too embarrassed to look at each other. After a couple of moments Tōshirō gently grabbed Karin's hands and leant back pulling her down with him, making her land so she was using his chest as a pillow. Tōshirō lifted his head up slightly and whispered. "We should get some sleep." Karin smiled and nodded.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin woke up at about half 4 in the morning, the sun shining in her eyes, Tōshirō's curtains doing nothing to prevent it from happening. Karin was suddenly reminded why she asked for her bedroom to be the one across the hall and NOT this one. She groaned and turned her head away from the light, burying her head into Tōshirō's chest, until of course she realised she was lying on Tōshirō. She sat up quickly, staring at Tōshirō while she remembered the events that happened just a few hours ago. She leant over to see the clock on Tōshirō's bedside table and groaned again. She didn't get sleep, she had a bloody nap. She sighed and leant back the other way and down onto Tōshirō, deciding it was a rather nice place to lie down. She was struggling to believe what had happened the night before, or rather a couple hours ago. On one side it seemed ridiculous. They had been living together for a day. But then again, they've been best friends for years now and last night wasn't the first time they had slept in the same room. The thought of Tōshirō liking her back had never occurred to her until a couple days ago, but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't pinpoint when. She didn't have much time to think though, as Karin fell back asleep surprisingly quickly. In fact she felt like she merely blinked, and all of a sudden it was two hours later and Tōshirō was awake too. '_Ugh I hate it when that happens.'_ Karin found that she didn't have enough energy to start up a conversation so she just settled for smiling at Tōshirō.

He smiled back automatically. His mind was somewhere else though. Last night, at first Tōshirō felt really bad for kissing Karin. At first he thought he was only attracted to Karin physically. But the more he thought about it, the more scared he got. Because the truth was, he was never just attracted to her physically. A year ago, around the time when most people acknowledged the fact that the two were best friends, he figured out that he wanted to stay by Karin's side together. He thought she was amazing, smart, funny, e.t.c. Those feelings have never stopped since then, if anything in the past week or so they've been amplified a lot. Suddenly, Tōshirō didn't know how he felt about Karin any more. He thought he just loved her as a friend. Now he was way too scared to use the word love. How could it be love anyway? He hadn't been fully attracted to her for that long anyway...had he? He had always noticed that she was beautiful...but who wouldn't? It was obvious...right? Tōshirō felt like he didn't know anything any more.

Karin groaned and got up from Tōshirō. Despite not being a huge fan of heat Tōshirō missed the warmth she provided. Tōshirō sat up and looked at her questioningly. "Sorry Tōsh, but if Ichi-nii caught us we'd both be dead within seconds...Wait Tōsh, did he even question you about the fact that you aren't wearing a top?"  
>"Did you only just notice?"<br>"Oh dear me no, I just didn't want to say anything in case you got embarrassed and put something on." Tōshirō raised his eyebrow, Karin blushed slightly.  
>"What? Is it a crime for me to admire your torso?" Tōshirō smirked. Ichigo knocked on the door and walked into the room.<br>"Hey, I'm leaving. I'm supposed to be meeting Rukia for breakfast in 45 minutes." Tōshirō nodded while Karin waved.  
>"See ya Ichi-nii. Do you trust us a bit more now?"<br>"...I guess. See ya. You too Tōshirō." And with that Ichigo left both the room and the apartment. After a few moments Karin walked back over to the bed and sat down near Tōshirō.  
>"So, how ironic is it that the night my brother comes along to check we're not doing anything sexual is the night we kiss for the first time?" Tōshirō grinned.<br>"Rin, it's typical us." Karin laughed and rolled her eyes, she tried to stop herself from yawning but couldn't.  
>"Sheesh, I feel exhausted. Even though I woke up like 10 minutes ago." Tōshirō grabbed Karin around her waist and pulled her down so she was lying on him again.<br>"I feel the same way. Let's just go back to sleep." Karin turned herself around slightly so she was lying on her side (on Tōshirō) and was facing him, looking up at his face.  
>"What and just have a lazy day? It's a Monday. And we've still got work to do."<br>"Wasn't it you who told me to relax more?" Honestly, Karin was tired. And that was good enough for her.  
>"...Fine." She sat up on Tōshirō, grabbed the blanket and pulled it over them and then snuggled back into his chest. "Happy?" Tōshirō smirked.<br>"Definitely...Although...I thought when we moved here I wasn't supposed to win any more?" Karin scoffed.  
>"Tōsh, I'm sleeping on the bare chest of a hot, kinda cute guy. How on earth is that losing?" Tōshirō chuckled slightly which caused Karin to grin.<br>"You're laughing more and more."  
>"Your point?"<br>"I'm happy! It's a good thing." Tōshirō smiled.  
>"I think so too."<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō was woken up an hour later by his phone, there was a hollow attacking a spirit just round the corner. Figuring she'd understand, Tōshirō picked Karin up off him and dropped her back down on the bed. He got up quickly and swallowed a gikongan. (Or soul candy if you prefer.) He grabbed his phone and jumped out of the window in shinigami form. Karin watched him go, slightly confused about what was going on as she was half asleep. When she finally caught on she got out of bed too, watching for any sign of something going wrong, she doubted it would, but she was still worried. Her eyes widened when the spirit and the hollow came onto the street the apartment was on. Her shock continued as the situation unfolded in front of her eyes. The hollow was hunting down a child, a small little girl. Karin guessed around the age of 3. She desperately wanted to get involved, but she knew Tōshirō wouldn't forgive if she did. She was watching the whole scene intently. The hollow seemed to be skilled, it could sense every time Tōshirō was going to attack it, which of course made the whole thing harder. Karin couldn't help it, she was watching a TODDLER being chased by a hollow. She jumped out of the window, landing properly, but she still felt pain shoot up her legs. She ignored it, ran after the child and grabbed her. The new human appearing on the scene distracted the hollow as Tōshirō sliced through it's head. He landed softly on the ground next to the two girls.

"Rin you shouldn't have just jumped into the fight like that. You could've gotten hurt."  
>"Tōsh, I'm fairly sure I am hurt, I must not have landed on the ground properly or it was high than I thought but I really don't care." The little girl was hugging Karin tightly around the leg she was leaning on. Karin was keeping her other leg off the ground, it hurt like hell. She had an awful feeling she fractured it. Suddenly Tōshirō's phone started beeping again. There was another hollow, no. Two more hollows. "Rin get out of here, take the girl with you."<br>"Well obviously." Karin started to run, but it hurt. She was sure she was making her leg worse with every step, wincing every time she used it. She was running way too slow. The little girl who was now residing on Karin's back screamed, noticing a third hollow that was following them. Karin's and Tōshirō's reiatsu combined must've been attracting all the hollows. When Karin realised that there was no way she could dodge the hollows attack, she quickly dropped the little girl off her back and turned round, catching her again before she hit the floor. Karin turned round allowing the hollow to hit her instead of the little girl. She felt the hollow's claws dig into her back. She quickly did a medical assessment of herself. It was deep, but it wasn't deep enough to do any permanent damage, unless she died of blood loss. She started to feel numb, everything seemed to be going in slow motion. Everyone seemed to be screaming. The little girl was screaming out of fear, the hollow was screaming out of pain and she could hear Tōshirō screaming her name. She could hear the panic in his voice. Karin mentally cursed. She had really screwed up. She couldn't tell how bad her injury was anymore and everything was going dark. The last thing she saw was Tōshirō's face, which looked scared. More scared that she had ever seen it before.

* * *

><p><strong>Oh I'm such a bitch. XD I torture these poor characters to no end. And leave you on a sort of cliff-hanger. (But the next chapter has pretty much been written in my head already I just got to type it up. And I only have two days of school left, so I hope the next chapter will be posted pretty quickly.) Originally I wasn't planning on having the two kiss until much later, but like I said to Nightsparrow15, I plan something out and then I end up writing something else entirely because the characters swiftly tell me that isn't how the scene is going to go. Everytime, seriously. XD I think it works though. I think those two would be kinda implusive, but shy, nervous and scared, neither of them knowing what on earth they're doing. What did you guys think? What will happen to Karin? Who knows? All I know is the fanfic is going to be a lot longer than I had originally planned. XD Please review! I appreciate it ^^<strong>


	6. Night Terrors

**Sorry it took me so long to update. DX My internet has been on the fritz, clearly it didn't want me to update, but I persevered! (It's currently 3 o'clock in the morning. I am fecking dedicated to you guys!) XD A little shorter than my most recent chapters, but hey. This didn't take to long too write, but it was so hard. Never have I written SO MUCH DIALOGUE in one chapter. XD Thanks for all the alerts once again, and thanks a lot for the reviews! ESPECIALLY the ones who review every chapter!  
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**Review replies:**

**Bara-san: **Your review made me laugh XD Ah, I can't wait to write that! (although it might not be in the story for a little while.)**  
>windkikyo:<strong> I'm glad you thought so!**  
>Forbidden-Hanyou:<strong> I'm so happy that you like it! I can't wait to read the next chapter ^^**  
>Cittyno2: <strong>*jaw drops to the floor* You're kidding right? I can actually get people to feel emotions with my writing? XD Confidence boost right there. XD You may hate me for this chapter though...**  
>Bleached-Whale:<strong> I'm glad you liked it! I was aiming for cute XD Let's face it, these two have absolutely no experience under their belts. XD**  
>Every shadow its twin: <strong>Aww thank you ^^ I wanted to update faster, but my internet actually holds a grudge against me ¬_¬  
>AeroRace: Glad you like it! Hope you enjoy this one too! ^^<strong><br>1BleachFan:** Karin's so much fun to write XD I would've slapped Ichigo too, but I felt it was a very ichigo thing to do XD Glad you liked that line! I was slightly worried about people's reaction at first, but I thought it would be true XD I really do view them as brother and sister, and having three brothers allows me to say with confidence that marrying your sibling is a disgusting thought. XD Karin is indeed rather heroic XD She's such a strong person, she doesn't get enough attention if you ask me. Thanks, sometimes it's really difficult writing about their relationship, because the two are so awkward XD**  
>BaS23: <strong>Cliffhangers are evil, I'm actually an awful person. XD I hope you like this chapter!**  
>Nightsparrow15<strong>: ... XD I really appreciate the review though, read this chapter and you'll find out! OMG, you have no idea. I loved Harry Potter for 6/7 years, I cried like a baby through the last half of the movie. It was so brilliant. XD I wanna watch it again, but I don't know when I can DX

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><p>Chapter 6: Night Terrors<p>

Karin almost screamed when she woke up. When she had started to stir in her sleep the little who she saved started to watch her closely, as in her face was just above Karin's face. The little girl went back to sitting on the cushion right next to the futon Karin was sleeping while clapping her hands. "Unnie's awake!" Karin's eyes narrowed in confusion. **[A.N = Unnie means older sister in Korean, but a lot of people use it with friends too, not just family.]**  
>"Unnie? That's...Korean?...Are you Korean?" The little girl nodded. Rukia coughed slightly to make herself known and then started to talk.<br>"Uruhara investigated her. Her whole family have been killed, they only moved here a year ago. So she speaks a strange mix of Japanese and Korean. The rest of her family have already been eaten by hollows, she's the only one left."  
>"Well that's...pleasant." Rukia nodded grimly.<br>"Anyway we'll sort her out later, how are you?"  
>"Tired, ache-y and I don't think I'll be able to actually get up for a little while. But I expected worse to be honest. This isn't bad considering I got this injury not too long ago."<br>"Karin, you've been out for a week." Karin stared at Rukia, her eyes widened.  
>"Seriously? A week!"<br>"You scared a lot of people."  
>"Fuck. I didn't think my injury was that bad..." Rukia sighed and knelt next to her.<br>"It wasn't, considering the circumstances. You're incredibly lucky. The hollow's claws were about 2 centimetres away from your spine. If they had got any nearer you'd be in a wheelchair right now, or worse."  
>"Dead." Rukia nodded. The little girl who had been watching the exchange between Rukia and Karin was starting to get bored. She crawled over to Karin's head and started playing with Karin's hair. Karin raised an eyebrow while Rukia smiled slightly.<br>"Over the week she's grown rather fond of you. She knows you saved her life." The little girl nodded at Rukia's words and Karin smiled.  
>"She's so cute." Rukia agreed.<br>"Well I have to go. If I don't tell your brother and captain Hitsugaya that you're awake they'll kill me." Karin tried to nod but found it hurt too much.

It only took two minutes after Rukia left for Tōshirō to come rushing into the room. "You look like hell." Tōshirō sighed heavily at Karin's comment.  
>"What do you expect? I haven't been able to sleep properly for the past week."<br>"Sorry." Tōshirō entwined his hand with hers.  
>"Don't be. Honestly Rin, I was really angry with you at first. I thought you acted like an idiot. But I realised that being angry was stupid of me, I should know you by now. Like you were just going to stand there and watch Yoona get killed. It was my fault. I didn't kill the hollows in time." Karin tried to shake her head.<br>"You should be angry at me. It's not your fault. You were just trying to do your job, I got in the way. If I wasn't there then you would've killed all of the hollows quicker."  
>"No I shouldn't. I REALLY should've known that you'd try to help, I should've known that you wouldn't let her get eaten, and I should've killed those hollows quick enough."<br>"It's not your fault Tōsh. Let's just move on from it. Let's just say it was nobody's fault. I'd rather not think about it...It was...scary..." Tōshirō nodded, and Karin changed the topic quickly, "So Yoona huh? That's your name?" The little girl nodded enthusiastically. "Ugh Tōsh, could you help me up please? I don't think I can sit up on my own." After Tōshirō helped her up Karin looked around and confirmed her suspicions that she was indeed in the Uruhara Shoten. She also looked down at herself. Her entire torso was covered in bandages, or rather multi-coloured, decorated bandages. She blinked a couple times before looking back up again. "Yoona, you didn't get bored did you?" Yoona just giggled while Tōshirō smiled.  
>"She's grown attached to you Rin." Karin smiled.<br>"So I've been told."

XxXxXxXxXxX

After 20 minutes of Yoona, Tōshirō and Karin talking and playing Yoona left to go eat lunch with Ururu and Jinta, leaving Karin and Tōshirō alone. "So Tōsh, are you going to tell me why she's still here?"  
>"She refused to have a soul burial until you woke up. She said she wanted to say thank you." Karin grinned.<br>"Awww. That's sweet." Tōshirō nodded.  
>"Yoona's very polite."<br>"Probably just the way she was brought up. Speaking of which, does she remember her family?"  
>"She does, but she knows they're gone now. I think she's trying to replace the gaps with us."<br>"Us? Even you Tōsh? I gotta say, before today I never saw you with children."  
>"Really? I want children...someday." Karin nodded slightly. Moving her head was getting easier as her muscles loosened.<br>"...So do I." The atmosphere started to feel somewhat awkward. Due to their revelations a week ago, they were painfully aware that they were talking about both of them wanting children. "Seriously though Tōsh, I thought she'd be more depressed or something." Tōshirō shook her head.  
>"She's trying to ignore what happened. Which is why she's trying to get us to replace her parents. I imagine it's a natural instinct to a child as young as her. Try to find the most reliable adults who seem loving. You saved her life, so she was drawn to you, and after she noticed I was close to you, she started paying attention to me too." Karin nodded slowly.<br>"How did she notice that we're close?"  
>"He visits you everyday Unnie!" Both Karin and Tōshirō turned their heads to see Yoona jumping up and down in the doorway. Karin smirked and replied.<br>"Does he now?" Yoona nodded and skipped towards the both of them.  
>"He's here always." Tōshirō seemed slightly embarrassed.<br>"What can I say? I was worried about you." Karin smiled brightly at him.  
>"You're adorable. And sweet." Tōshirō jokingly rolled his eyes at her.<br>"Are you married?" Yoona asked, watching the two of them intently. Karin glanced at Tōshirō before answering.  
>"Married to each other?" Yoona nodded, "No."<br>"How come?" Karin and Tōshirō stared at each other, daring the other one to answer. Eventually Tōshirō gave in and answered.  
>"We're too young."<br>"Oh." Just as Karin and Tōshirō thought she had dropped the subject she continued asking questions. "Do you want to?" Once again, the two ended up staring at each other. Knowing neither of them could answer this without digging a huge hole, Karin changed the subject.  
>"So Yoona, what do you like to do? I think you like to draw, but what else do you do?"<br>"I like...painting, and going to the park, um...I like eating too!" Karin giggled.  
>"You sound like me." Yoona grinned.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

It was now past nine o'clock, Yoona had fallen asleep, and Rukia had came back for an hour telling Karin that Ichigo would come to visit her in the morning. He would've come sooner, but he had important work to do first. Karin was back to lying down, he back starting to ache from sitting up straight all day. Uruhara had come to check up on her, praising her for healing so quickly. To tell the truth, Karin was bored as hell. She knew she shouldn't do anything to aggravate her wounds, but everything she wanted to do would. She knew what she should be doing, after today she felt it had become somewhat clear that she could do with talking to Tōshirō about the whole relationship thing. They hadn't actually talked about it, or even agreed to be in one. They just had a sort of relationship-y 10 hours together and then Karin got injured. Karin knew it would be better to have the complicated discussion in the long run, but it unnerved her. Besides Tōshirō wasn't even with her right now, so she'd have to wait. Karin sighed heavily when she remembered where he had gone. Tōshirō was currently at their apartment picking up a couple of things for Karin now that she was awake. Karin sighed again. Tōshirō was way too thoughtful for her own good. Karin wondered if he was doing this because he felt obliged to, or because he wanted to. She hoped that it was the latter.

Tōshirō arrived at the Uruhara Shoten 20 minutes later, with a backpack full of stuff; clothes, books, hairbrush, iPod, e.t.c. He gave the bag to Karin, who smiled the entire time she looked through it. "Tōsh, you know me WAY too well." Tōshirō shrugged.  
>"We've been friends for years." Karin sighed and lay back down onto her futon. (She sat up to go through the bag.)<br>"Tōsh...What...do you consider us to be now?" Tōshirō thought for a couple moments, he knew how hard it was to ask that question, he was thinking about asking it himself.  
>"I...don't know. I would say girlfriend and boyfriend, but I don't think we've quite reached that point yet for some reason." Karin nodded while breathing a sigh of relief.<br>"It's not just me. I guess it's just because we haven't actually ever gone on a date? But the idea of going on a first date with you doesn't quite click. Most couples talk about themselves on first dates, but obviously we don't need to do that. But how can we start dating without a first date?"  
>"And how can we start dating when we're already living with each other?"<br>"Exactly! I swear, most couples are probably engaged when they get to this stage. The terms girlfriend and boyfriend seems so...juvenile."  
>"So just fuck already and then call yourself lovers." Tōshirō and Karin turned round instantly at Jinta's voice. Tōshirō settled for a death-glare while Karin voiced her surprise.<br>"JINTA!" Jinta just shrugged and walked away from the doorway. Karin had turned bright red at Jinta's suggestion. Tōshirō was blushing too, but far less than Karin.  
>"So...I think we should ignore Jinta." Karin nodded a little too enthusiastically and felt pain shoot down her back. She winced, grabbing Tōshirō's attention.<br>"Rin? You ok?"  
>"Yeah...I just moved too much is all." Tōshirō helped her to sit up again, allowing her to stretch the muscles in her back slightly. After sleeping for a week, all of her muscles were way too tight, especially the ones in her back. "How about this Tōsh, we're just together. We're a couple. That work for you? No silly labels." Tōshirō agreed, and kissed her on the lips gently, causing her to smile. Tōshirō broke the silence.<br>"So, should we discuss the next major issue or not?"  
>"Which major issue?"<br>"The one concerning your brother."  
>"Oh god Tōsh, no way. Not tonight at least." Tōshirō laughed.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin woke up the next morning feeling awfully cramped and stiff. Karin had to get herself up as Tōshirō had gone back to the apartment last night, not really feeling up to doing any more chores. He had done about 3 weeks worth in the past week because he spent all of his time at the Uruhara Shoten. Karin had felt really bad when she heard that, but touched that Tōshirō refused to leave the Uruhara Shoten unless it was necessary (like if hollows attacked). Karin turned around to look at the clock at the far side of the room, which was be behind her, much to her annoyance. Karin winced as she turned, forgetting how stiff her muscles were. She was used to being sporty and fit, not tense like this. But Tessai said she would have to wait until tomorrow to take a shower because he wounds hadn't quite healed to withstand being bombarded with jets of water. The only other option was to have a sponge bath, and there was no way in hell that was happening. Talk about awkward. Well, Karin felt she might've just been able to tolerate it if it was Yoruichi washing her, she was another female afterall and she probably wouldn't make a big deal out of it, but she wasn't around at the moment. So yeah, a sponge bath was not happening. When she looked at the clock and finally registered what the time was she figured out that Tōshirō probably wouldn't show up for another half hour, at least. Karin sighed. She got bored when Tōshirō wasn't around, nobody understood her like he did. Although, Yoona might be able to keep her busy. Karin smiled at the idea. Contrary to strangely popular belief, she didn't mind children. Actually, if they were raised up properly (so they didn't end up screaming or swearing at anyone who did something they didn't like or anything like that, which she had experienced way too often while working as a nurse,) Karin loved them.

Being extremely careful, Karin slowly swivelled her body round so she was on her knees instead of sitting on her backside, and then stood up, a little shaky while doing so. She bent down to grab her cardigan, being careful to not bend or use her spine, making sure she bent at her waist. After she did up a couple buttons on her cardigan she slipped on some slippers and start to slowly make her way to the kitchen, hungry and determined to loosen her muscles a bit. Much to Karin's surprise instead of finding Tessai in the kitchen she found Uruhara. He noticed her walking into the room straight away. "Ah Karin-chan! I see you're feeling well!" Karin smiled and nodded.  
>"My muscles feel a bit ache-y though."<br>"That's normal. You're doing great! Just keep moving around and your muscles will be fine soon enough. Your bandages should be able to come off soon too!" Karin nodded again.  
>"I hope so."<br>"I'm guessing you're hungry?" Karin smiled sheepishly.  
>"Yeah kinda." Uruhara just continued to smile.<br>"Well I must be off, help yourself to anything!"  
>"Thank you!" Uruhara nodded and walked out of the room while Karin started to search for food she wanted to eat.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

After Yoona had discovered that Karin was no longer in her futon, she ran around the Uruhara Shoten trying to find her. Karin jumped slightly when she heard someone opening the door. After a few moments it was clear that the person who was trying to get in was having a hard time with the door. Karin walked across the kitchen, over to the door and opened it. Karin heard Yoona before she saw her. The young girl squealed and tightly hugged Karin around her legs. Karin giggled, bent down (carefully) and hugged her back. "Yoona, do you want breakfast?" Yoona nodded and skipped over to the lower cupboards, in search of suitable breakfast food. After searching 3 cupboards (there were only so many she could reach) she gave up and silently asked Karin to help her. Karin quickly scanned the cupboards Yoona couldn't reach and looked into the fridge. Karin sighed while she was thinking. "Hmm...Yoona do you like eggs?" Yoona jumped up and down while she nodded causing Karin to grin at her eagerness. Karin pulled out the box of eggs from the fridge and set them aside on the kitchen worktop. Karin searched around for a frying pan, deciding that an omelette wouldn't be too hard to make.

By the time she had started cooking Tōshirō had shown up. "What on earth are you doing! You couldn't stand up yesterday and now you've just decided you're fit enough to stand around and cook?" Karin glared at him.  
>"I've always recovered quickly from injuries Tōsh, and I feel fine. Don't get so worked up." She continued to cook while Tōshirō watched her for a minute, before coming to the decision that she seemed completely fine and was handling the task of cooking Yoona breakfast easily.<br>"Rin, have YOU eaten yet?" Karin nodded while flipping over the omelette.  
>"Yeah, I had some toast before Yoona came in. You've eaten too right?" Tōshirō nodded and sat down on a stool. After seeing Karin flip the omelette Yoona seemed very interested in all of the cooking equipment. She tried to reach up to touch the frying pan (which was now incredibly hot) but Karin roughly grabbed her wrist before she could. Karin glared at Yoona to drive her following point home. "Yoona, you should never touch a pan while it's in use! It'll hurt if you do!" Karin let go off her wrist and continued to cook. When Yoona was sure Karin wasn't looking, she tried to touch the frying pan again, only this time Tōshirō grabbed her round her waist, and pulled her closer to him, he spoke quietly to Yoona, not wanting Karin to get stressed or annoyed over the issue. "Yoona, Karin just said not to touch it. She meant it. It'll hurt a lot." Yoona huffed and leant against Tōshirō's legs, clearly bored.<p>

When the omelette had finished cooking and Karin was cutting it up in decent sized pieces for Yoona to eat she noticed that Tōshirō had put Yoona on his lap. She raised an eyebrow, still cutting. "Seemed easier. Seeing as a certain someone was fidgeting." Yoona giggled and Karin sighed.  
>"Looks like we've got a trouble maker on our hands." Tōshirō nodded. Karin finished cutting up the omelette and put the plate on the worktop Tōshirō was sitting at. Realising that Yoona wasn't going to get off him any time soon he spun round so he was facing the worktop, making it easier for Yoona to eat. While she ate happily, Karin and Tōshirō talked about everyday things.<p>

Just before Yoona finished eating Ichigo turned up at the Uruhara Shoten, desperately wanting to see Karin. The minute Ichigo saw her he hugged her tightly, which was slightly painful, but after all of the emotional crap she probably put him through, she figured he was entitled to a hug. Ichigo was overjoyed when he found out that Karin was up on her feet already, before he visited he had got it into his head that she was in an awful state. Tōshirō decided to pull back a bit during the time Ichigo was at the Uruhara Shoten. He didn't want to cause either siblings any more stress than they had surely experienced in the past couple days, and quite frankly he was worried he'd give their newly formed relationship away, which would not end well, not matter how it could happen. He wasn't even sure they were in a relationship as such, but then again who the hell got to define such a thing? It was all so confusing. When you're young you just think you meet the perfect person, get married, have kids and live happily ever after. Obviously, Tōshirō was aware that this wasn't how it worked at all, but he never really acknowledged it until now. He never realised just how bloody complicated everything got when you got older. Soul Society was easy. Tiring and tedious, but it was easy. He just followed the same routine for decades. These days everything was complicated and confusing, and he was only plunged into the deep end about two weeks ago. But maybe this is the sort of life he needed? Instead of his damned routines, doing the same thing everyday. Maybe he should be doing unexpected things, last second decisions, e.t.c. He didn't know, but he did know that Karin would help him along the way.

XxXxXxXxXxX

After dinner Uruhara and Tessai let Karin go home, after seeing her do so well all day. Although they did warn her to still be careful for another couple days, and to be careful while washing herself. She wasn't supposed to take her bandages off until tomorrow morning though. Ichigo made sure that the two got to their home safely, and bid them goodbye after he saw them enter the apartment. Karin practically jumped at the sofa, wanting to sit down after being on her feet for a lot of the day. Tōshirō shook his head at her actions, amused. "I thought Uruhara told you to be careful." Karin stuck her tongue out at him.  
>"I know my limits. Honestly I think the thing that will be most detrimental to my health would be wearing a damn bra." Tōshirō raised his eyebrow while trying his hardest to fight off a blush. "What? Think about it, the way you gotta put them on, you gotta arch your back and stuff. It's gonna hurt." Tōshirō merely stood in the living room, just blinking at her. What on earth was he supposed to respond with? Karin rolled her eyes. "God Tōsh, you're still really shy! Even with Rangiku as your vice-captain! How does that even work?" Tōshirō shrugged. Karin sighed and swivelled on the sofa so she was now lying down on her side just as Tōshirō approached the sofa. After spotting Tōshirō glaring at her she moved her legs off the sofa so he could sit down, only to move them back to where they were, only this time her legs were now resting across Tōshirō's lap. Tōshirō sighed and Karin stuck her tongue out again. "Hey, I'm lying on the sofa whether you're on it or not."<br>"So I noticed!" Karin giggled, causing Tōshirō to smile. They found themselves watching the television, not really having the energy to do anything else. Before long Karin fell asleep. Tōshirō didn't even notice until an hour after she had actually fallen asleep, Karin was a very quiet sleeper. When he was sure that she was fast asleep Tōshirō carefully picked Karin up and carried her to her bed, making sure she would be comfortable and in no pain. Then him decided to go to bed himself, closing Karin's door behind him.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō was woken up at 4 in the morning by Karin's screams. The minute he heard them he felt incredibly scared. They weren't screams of pain (which he suspected at first because of her back.) They were screams of fear. She was scared out of her mind and she was letting the entire apartment building know about it. This wasn't what was scaring Tōshirō. He was scared at the fact that Karin was screaming so loud, and that you could practically hear her fear dripping from her voice. In all the time Tōshirō had known her, he had never heard her scream out of fear, even when she's been attacked by hollows, even just last week when she clawed at. So what in the actual hell was she screaming at!

When Tōshirō had run to her room and practically wrenched the door of it's hinges in his rush to open the door she saw Karin writhing about on her bed, still asleep yet still more scared then he'd ever seen her. Blood was starting to seep out of her wounds because of the amount she was moving around. She was still screaming, a couple a tears had escaped from her eyes. Tōshirō shouted her name, trying to wake her up, he shook her roughly nothing seemed to work. It was like something in her dream had grabbed her from reality and was intent on keeping her. He was trying his best not to panic, especially when he had an awful feeling he knew exactly what was causing such a thing to happen. He gave up on 'nice methods' to wake Karin up. Tōshirō picked her up somewhat roughly and ran through the window with such force you couldn't possibly call it a window any more. All of the glass had been shattered into millions of pieces and shards. The sudden feeling of falling and the heavy rain woke Karin up quickly, gasping as she opened her eyes. She was about to scream again until she registered that she was being held by Tōshirō. However being half asleep meant she was still scared out of her wits. She buried her face into Tōshirō's neck, refusing to look at the ground. The two landed softly, and Tōshirō just stood there in the rain, holding Karin, staring at her, hoping she would be ok. After a couple of minutes Karin's breathing had returned to normal and she slowly let herself drop from Tōshirō's arms, landing on her feet. Slowly she turned to face Tōshirō, he noticed that she was still scared. Whatever happened to her, it wasn't a normal nightmare. Karin looked back down, she couldn't take looking at Tōshirō's eyes. They were questioning her, worried, and as intense as they always were. Karin slowly and tentatively moved closer to Tōshirō, wrapping her arms around his waist tightly. She rested her head against his chest and sighed deeply. Tōshirō could tell she was trying to calm down, she didn't want to get scared again, so she didn't do anything except for comfort. He would've loved to tell her everything would be alright, but that would imply that something was presently wrong (which there was,) but it could set her off again.

Tōshirō made sure to move as slowly as Karin did. He wrapped his arms around her, loosely as not to aggravate her wounds and rested his head on hers. The rain and the embrace appeared to be calming her down. Tōshirō could see the sun starting to rise, and he started to wonder how long they'd been out in the rain. Karin hugged Tōshirō tighter, taking him by surprise. She spoke quietly. "Tōsh? This...this is real, right?" Tōshirō was a little taken aback. She was doubting what as reality, further proving his theory that her nightmare was not really a nightmare. Tōshirō gently moved her head up to look her in the eyes and spoke, never taking his eyes of hers. "Yes Rin, this is real." Karin glanced away from Tōshirō's eyes.  
>"That's what you said last time. Before...before he turned up." Tōshirō hugged her tightly and spoke quietly in her ear.<br>"Before who turned up Rin?" Karin shivered slightly and seemed to be attempting to get closer to Tōshirō, despite it being impossible to be closer.  
>"Him...Aizen." It took all of Tōshirō's self control not to go to Soul Society and kill the man several times over. He gently grabbed Karin's chin for the second time in that early morning. "Rin listen to me. Whatever you saw, whatever you heard, whatever Aizen said, it's not real. He's lying to you. You're here with me, and he can't touch you. I'll never let him hurt you." Karin shook her head.<br>"You can't help. I can't block him from my mind, neither can you. He's getting stronger Tōsh. He's trying to get me." Tōshirō hugged her even tighter, almost not caring about her wounds, just trying to save her mind.  
>"Look, I'll contact Soul Society, I'll make sure that the defence around him is higher than it's ever been before. I'm not going to let him take you. I'm not gonna stop until you're 100 percent safe." Karin smiled weakly and buried herself into Tōshirō's chest. Tōshirō kissed her head. The two were completely soaked by now, but neither of them cared. Tōshirō knew how scared Karin was, and how lethal Aizen could be. Not just to your physical body, but your mind too. Tōshirō almost wanted to cry at the thought of losing Karin.<p>

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><p><strong>So! How many people hate me? I meant what I said last time, I'm a bitch. XD I'm thinking about changing the genre at this rate, but I'm not sure...Do you guys think I should?<strong>

**I thought all of the interaction with Yoona would be cute :3 But I needed to get this story moving hence the awful end of this chapter. The way I write is to get into the person's mindset and stuff, so I was almost crying at the end of this chapter. (So now I'm also currently thinking about changing the rating too...especially with the plans I've got for the story, it may have to be bumped up to an M...Nothing sexual, I can't write that XD But other stuff that I cannot reveal XD) What do you guys think? Should I change the rating? Do you have any questions about or suggestions for the story? (Have to verbally strangle me after being such a bitch to Karin?) Please write me a review! Soon enough I'm going to start writing the sort of thing I have never written before, I need the confidence XDD**

**Oh and also, like I said previously it's around 3 o'clock in the morning, so PLEASE inform me of any spelling, gramatical or any other sort of mistake and I'll try to correct it as soon as possible! ^^  
><strong>


	7. Time Spent Without You

**Ok guys, I'm not gonna lie, this is another one of those awkward connecting chapter were nothing significant actually happens but you need to read it because you'll miss out on important details. There's a lot of time skipping. Despite the fact that Karin and Tōshirō are separated for the MAJORITY OF THIS DAMNED CHAPTER. But you guys need to read it or it won't make sense. Ah well, there's still cute stuff in it! =P As always thanks a lot for all of the alerts and reviews! ^^  
><strong>

**Review Replies:**

**windkikyo: **Seriously, it's gotta suck to be her. And thank you! ^^**  
>Every shadow has its twin: <strong>Oh ho ho. You might like this chapter =P To be honest I don't think chapter is very impressive, however the next chapter should be awesome!**  
>Forbidden-Hanyou: <strong>I know, it makes me want to cry sometimes XD It'll get better eventually! I have the ending planned out ^^ I shall read it after I finish editing this chapter! ^^**  
>Awww: <strong>Yes, I had forgotten about that, thank you so much for reminding me! Now I've included an 'explanation' in this chapter ^^**  
>Twistedkorn: <strong>Thank you! I appreciate it a lot! =D**  
>Bleached-Whale: <strong>If I could marry your review I would XD I'm not even kidding, my reaction to your review was seriously this: .com/tumblr_ Probably the best review I've ever recieved XD I really appreciate it! Seriously, thank you so much! =D

**P.S - The couple of paragraphs in italics is a flashback. ^^**

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><p>Chapter 7: Time Spent Without You<p>

Karin was currently sitting at the kitchen table, slightly shivering, but not from the cold. It had now hit 6 o'clock in the morning and Tōshirō was making toast for Karin, deciding he'd rather make sure she was ok before contacting Soul Society. While he was buttering her toast Tōshirō heard Karin murmur something. After turning around to face Karin he spoke. "What did you say Rin?"  
>"I said it's pretty."<br>What's pre-Oh." While Tōshirō was speaking he spotted the hell butterfly flying in the room attempting to find him, confused about there being two people in the room with about the same reiatsu. Tōshirō made a note to compliment Uruhara on his effective gigai. Tōshirō walked across the room and managed to get the hell butterfly to land on his finger. A loud booming voice that could only belong to the Captain Commander filled the room. "All captains are to attend a crucial meeting. Arrive as soon as possible. This is concerning the sudden increased threat of Aizen Sosuke. The captain of the tenth squad, who is currently residing in the Living World will be expected to come back to Soul Society the minute Ichigo Kurosaki and Rukia Kuchiki arrive to take care of her in his place. None of the captains will take their time or dawdle. This is of the utmost importance." And with that, the message stopped playing. Both Karin and Tōshirō had a mixed feelings.

Tōshirō was glad that Soul Society had picked up on it so fast and were trying to do something about Aizen, but that had sounded really serious. He got the feeling that this was worse than he could've expected. I mean, they were sending two shinigami this time? One of them being above captain level, and the other one probably being above vice-captain level. This also meant he had to leave Karin, which he REALLY did not want to do. Not after this morning. He gave Karin her toast and quickly grabbed a piece of paper and a pen. Tōshirō knew Karin wouldn't tell Ichigo or Rukia what had happened on her own accord, and if they asked she'd probably deny all knowledge seeing as it was such a bad experience. Or she's miss out details. He started to write quickly, telling them what happened at length so the two would know that she had been affected badly. It might worry the hell out of them, but at least they'd be watching her for any tell tale signs that Aizen was getting to her again.

Karin was experiencing similar feelings. She was relieved that whatever happened to her earlier in the morning wasn't caused by her own subconsciousness, but terrified that Aizen was getting closer to her again. Tōshirō had to leave. That was the biggest blow. She supposed she should be pleased though. Soul Society were sending her brother and Rukia, who was kinda like a sister. Not quite a sister, but she did feel really close to her. That didn't change the fact that Tōshirō was the only who understood anything. He understood her, he understood her fear and understood about Aizen. How awful it was. Well, Rukia might have an inkling, but her brother? Clueless. She sighed and continued to nibble on her breakfast, finding it hard to eat. She couldn't even look at Tōshirō. He was leaving. Obviously it wasn't his fault. He had a job to do afterall, but Tōshirō was leaving, for Soul Society of all places. Where Aizen was. Aizen was powerful and he was going to try and deal with him (along with the other captains). What if she lost him? The thought of losing Tōshirō to Aizen made her want to cry again. Eventually she forced herself to look up from her barely eaten breakfast, finding turquoise-y teal eyes looking right back at her. Tōshirō, knowing what she was thinking, got up from his chair and walked round to the back of Karin's chair and hugged her from behind (which was difficult because of said chair being in the way.) He leant down slightly and whispered into her ear. "I'll come back you know. I'll make sure I do." Karin sighed deeply and turned her head slightly to face him. She spoke, rather shakily but with more confidence than she had all day.  
>"You'd better. Or I will personally kick your ass into oblivion. Don't do anything stupid." Tōshirō grinned at her reply, happy to see her attitude again.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

When Tōshirō actually left the apartment and the Living World Karin almost cried. She hated to see him go, especially as she had no idea when he was coming back, but she had to let him go. Karin felt relieved when she saw her brother's and Rukia's face though. While Tōshirō understood her completely, these two knew her well from experience, proving that when they showed up at their apartment with a video games console and chocolate cake after they had heard that she had a rough time in the morning. Ichigo gave the console to her to connect to the TV while he and Rukia went into the kitchen to find a place to put the cake. It was Rukia who saw the letter first, the her concern was incredibly obvious and it showed on her face and in her body language, causing Ichigo to rip it out of her hands when she finished reading it. He had been told that she struggled in the morning with something (Soul Society had noticed her reiatsu spike dramatically at one point) but didn't imagine that it was this bad. He wanted to shred and burn the letter, and pretend that nothing happened, but there was no way that would help Karin. Ichigo respected Tōshirō for writing down every detail, including the kiss, revealing their new relationship status. Tōshirō wasn't thinking about how mad Ichigo would get, or how inappropriate a lot of people might think their relationship is, he was just worried about Karin, trying to make sure that she was ok. He couldn't deny that he was slightly pissed that the captain had hooked up with his sister, despite telling Ichigo that nothing would ever happen, but it would have to wait for another time. When Karin wasn't so fragile. She did not need to be shouted at right now, and quite frankly if Tōshirō really was in a meaningful relationship with Karin, he didn't doubt that Tōshirō felt awful as well. Ichigo took one last look at the letter, and made a promise to himself. He'd protect her, he wouldn't make her worse, even if that meant ignoring his strong desire to rip apart Tōshirō. That wasn't what she needed right now. What she needed was to be surrounded with people, to be distracted from her own thoughts and to be loved and cared for. He was her big brother for god's sake, he'd make sure she got those things.

XxXxXxXxXxX

None of the captains were surprised when the meeting was called, but all were slightly uneasy. Meeting up like this to discuss problems with Aizen was admitting that he was a problem again, and last time he was a problem, he almost won. The entire meeting was tense, and the only thing they could come up with was to strengthen the protection around Aizen as much as they can for as long as they can until they came up with a solution that would deal with Aizen for good. They couldn't just kill him, or officially execute him, the man was immortal! Tōshirō sighed heavily and leant against his bedroom door. Being back in his house felt weird, it felt too quiet. He pulled out his phone and entered his apartment's phone number. He paused for a moment, but then pressed the call button.

It was Ichigo was answered the phone, Karin and Rukia were currently too busy racing each other in a car video game. After hearing Tōshirō's voice he moved into the kitchen, away from the girls.

"Tōshirō. What's going on in Soul Society?" Tōshirō sighed angrily, he was about to correct Ichigo on what he should be calling him but dropped it, he just told him he kissed his little sister, he didn't want to anger him unnecessarily.  
>"Pretty much nothing. Nobody knows what to do. So now they're just trying to strengthen the defences around him, which I doubt will last long."<br>"Ugh, so the meeting was a waste of time then?"  
>"Unfortunately yes. I have no idea when I'll be able to return...Kurosaki...can I talk to Karin?" Ichigo paused for a moment.<br>"In a sec. Tōshirō, are you two in a relationship? A proper one?"  
>"I don't know what you would call it. We both like each other, but we haven't gone on anything like a date, although...we have...kissed."<br>"But you're not messing her around?"  
>"No. I would never do such a thing to her Kurosaki." Ichigo sighed.<br>"...Fine. But if you ever do anything to hurt her, I'll hurt you, got it?"  
>"Understood." Ichigo sighed again. He didn't really want Karin to be close to a guy, but if Karin had to be close to someone, Tōshirō was not a bad choice; as much as he hated to admit it. He walked back into the living room and gave Karin the phone after Rukia paused the game. Karin walked into her bedroom after she heard Tōshirō's voice, wanting to have a conversation with him alone. Tōshirō had refused to tell her exactly what was going on (or rather, what wasn't going on) and simply said they were making progress. Tōshirō could feel her sadness when he told her that he didn't know when he'd be back yet, but he managed to get her to cheer up a bit when he said he'll call her everyday, although he didn't know what time, it wouldn't stay the same, it would depend on the day.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin woke up at 11 o'clock the next morning, waking up late due to falling asleep late. While she knew the security had been increased so it was unlikely for Aizen to affect her for a while she was still scared to fall asleep. She knew it was silly, especially as Tōshirō had promised that he would phone her the second he knew the walls around Aizen were weakening. Karin wasn't stupid, she knew it wasn't an 'if' situation, it was a 'when'. She groaned and stretched, kicking off her blanket. She got up and walked into the kitchen and gasped loudly the minute she did. Yoona was in the kitchen with Rukia, the pair of them drawing while Ichigo was cooking breakfast. When Yoona saw Karin she squealed. "Unnie! You're awake!" Karin grinned and nodded before turning to Ichigo.  
>"Couple of questions I gotta ask here. Why are you making breakfast at 11, and why's Yoona here? Not that I'm complaining." Yoona was jumping up and down and pulling on Karin's arm, trying to drag her to the kitchen table. Ichigo answered after watching Karin's face light up, happy that she had cheered up a lot.<br>"You're not the only one who woke up late. And she hasn't been given a soul burial yet so Rukia picked her up from Uruhara. We have to take her back tomorrow though. He's doing some tests or something." Karin instinctively grabbed Yoona.  
>"What do you mean he's doing tests? Why!" Ichigo raised his eyebrow and spoke in a joking sort of tone.<br>"Calm your damned maternal instincts woman!" Karin glared at him but allowed him to continue, "He just wants to make sure she's nothing special." Yoona wasn't bothered by this conversation, but Karin wasn't sure she understood it. Yoona's definition of tests probably differed to the meaning of the word in this situation.  
>"What do you mean?" Karin pulled Yoona onto her lap and pulled her drawing over to her side of the table so Yoona could continue to draw. Ichigo shrugged and flipped over what Karin recognised as French toast before he spoke.<br>"She could eat right? Normal souls can't do that."  
>"But I thought that's how normal souls noticed that they had reiatsu and could probably become shinigami?" Rukia intervened into the conversation.<br>"It is, but that's in Soul Society. I have never seen a soul eat food in the human world. I doubt it's an issue though. Her whole family was hunted down, so she probably just had unusually strong parents and it passed down to her. But Uruhara wanted to check before we did the soul burial, because we don't want anything to go wrong." Karin nodded slowly, and smiled at the two other people in the kitchen, letting them know that she was fine with that.

After a couple of minutes Ichigo came over with 4 plates piled up in one hand and a frying pan full of French toast in the other. Karin looked sceptical. "Since when could YOU cook Ichi-nii?" Ichigo looked slightly embarrassed.  
>"Yuzu kinda forced me too. When you moved out she realised that I'd move out someday too, and that I can't cook, so she's been giving me lessons. Now that you've left she's become determined to be the strong female in the house, like you were." Karin smiled. She was worried that her leaving would cause Yuzu to be upset for a very long time, who knows it might've done but if it's making her stronger Karin minded a little less. Yuzu was strong before, but she didn't stand up for herself. Ichigo started to dish out french toast onto the 4 plates while Rukia got up and tried to find the cutlery. After finally succeeding she pulled out 4 forks and handed them out. Karin felt pretty happy, but she felt like someone was missing. A certain someone. Karin was already missing Tōshirō badly. She tried to ignore as she went back to eating her breakfast around Yoona (she was still sitting on her lap.)<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin fell asleep a lot easier that night. She was allowed to take her bandages off and take a shower which relaxed her a lot and not to mention just how tiring Yoona could be. Karin's mobile rang in the middle of the night (well at half eleven) but she didn't stir; Karin was fast asleep. Yoona however (who was sleeping on Karin's floor in a futon) woke up immediately and took it upon herself to answer the phone. When Yoona heard Tōshirō's voice she gasped dramatically. "Oppa!" **[A.N. Oppa means older brother in Korean (Yoona has the same sort of relationship with Tōshirō as she does with Karin)]**  
>"Wait, Yoona?"<br>"Hi Oppa!"  
>"Why are you answering the phone Yoona?" Yoona giggled.<br>"Unnie's asleep!"  
>"Really?"<br>"Yep!"  
>"That's surprising. She usually stays up late. I'm starting to think she's nocturnal."<br>"Who's nocturnal?" Tōshirō smiled at her lack of knowledge, he had to admit it, he thought it was adorable.  
>"Nocturnal isn't a person Yoona. It's a type of person. Someone who is nocturnal sleeps during the day and is awake at night."<br>"But that's backward!" Tōshirō chuckled.  
>"It is for people. But some animals are nocturnal. Like owls." Yoona nodded. After a couple of moments of silence Tōshirō spoke up. "Yoona?"<br>"Oh right. You can't hear a nod!" And she giggled again, causing Tōshirō to grin.  
>"Ok Yoona I should probably go now, could you do me a favour though?"<br>"Uh huh!"  
>"Can you tell Unnie that I called? Don't tell her now, tell her when she wakes up in the morning."<br>"Okie-doke Oppa!"  
>"Bye bye Yoona."<br>"Bye Oppa!" And with that Tōshirō pressed the end call button, even though he didn't really want to. However he had work to do. Rangiku had been doing paperwork, but not enough on each day, so the entire squad was behind by a week or so on paperwork. Plus he had to think of a way to deal with Aizen, but it was difficult, because every time he thought of the man he started thinking of ways he could kill him painfully. It was an automatic response, Tōshirō wouldn't deny it, he absolutely despised Aizen. He used his sister, he used Soul Society, hell he even used his own soldiers, killing or maiming them if they didn't obey and now he was trying to get to Karin, hurting her as he did. He didn't want to let him live. He felt a bit better now though, after talking to Yoona, he was happy that Karin had managed to fall asleep even though he knew she would be afraid to sleep.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin sighed, once again trying to completely shut off her reiatsu. It was a lot harder than she first thought. Rukia smiled reassuringly however, she seemed to think that Karin's progress was fine. Before Soul Society sent Ichigo and Rukia to Karin, the Captain Commander told them to accelerate Karin's training. It might exhaust Karin, however the captains agreed they'd prefer to exhaust her soul, which would definitely recover rather than let Aizen get into her head easily which could cause permanent damage. Rukia was a good teacher though, which helped her out a lot, but she was still impatient. "Ugh, Rukia have you got any other tips or advice? This is difficult."  
>"I know it is, you're actually doing really well Karin. Just do what I said before. Relax, clear your mind, take a deep breath and just go for it." Karin followed her instructions and tried to shut off her reiatsu again. She got irritated after a couple minutes, of attempting to do this. She got slightly better each time she tried, but it wasn't fast enough for her liking. Rukia looked at the clock and told Karin to take a break when she noticed they had been at it for a good half an hour or so. Karin got some juice out from the fridge and drunk from the carton just as Ichigo walked in. "What kind of woman drinks from the carton hmm?" Karin shrugged.<p>

"Ichi-nii, you drink from the carton too, you know, when you think we aren't looking. Besides! It's my house. I do what I like." Ichigo grinned.  
>"I see you're feeling better." Karin nodded as she put the juice back into the fridge.<br>"I ended up having a long conversation with Tōshirō and Yoona this morning."  
>"Ah I see." Ichigo was about to leave the kitchen until Karin spoke suddenly.<br>"Ichi-nii?"  
>"Yeah?"<br>"You know about us don't you?" Ichigo appeared embarrassed and scratched the back of his head.  
>"Well...yeah. He told me." Karin fumbled with her own fingers for a second.<br>"And?" Ichigo sighed and looked at Karin.  
>"I'm not gonna lie. I don't like it. But I'm not gonna get in the way. Not at the moment anyway." Karin nodded. Ichigo was about to leave the room until he was stopped again.<br>"Ichi-nii?"  
>"What now?"<br>"...Thanks." Ichigo turned round and smiled at Karin.  
>"Come on, we should take Yoona back to Uruhara's." Karin nodded and left the room with her brother.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin sighed heavily, collapsing onto her bed. Ichigo and Rukia had been living with her for a week now, and she was bored out of her mind. Well, the training wasn't too bad as long as she could do it. If Karin couldn't do something the first couple times she tried she'd feel discouraged from it, that was just the kind of person she was. She missed Tōshirō a lot as well, Yoona too. Admittedly is was only four days ago, but she could remember when Yoona was given a soul burial so clearly it could've been 5 minutes ago. She remembered what everybody had said and everything...

"_So! After quite a few tests I've come to the conclusion that there isn't anything wrong with our little Yoona here!" Everyone seemed relieved at Uruhara's news. "The only thing that is strange about her is that she's likely to keep her memories after the soul burial." This made Karin look up quickly._  
>"<em>Really?"<em>  
>"<em>Oh yes Karin-chan! She'll probably remember you, and Captain Hitsugaya!" After Rukia saw Karin's expression she urged everyone to leave the room, except for Karin and Yoona, allowing them to say goodbye to each other. After Karin was sure everyone was out of earshot she turned round and picked up Yoona, making her look at Karin. "Yoona, listen to me carefully ok? I know you're young, but you're not stupid." Yoona nodded, keeping her eyes on Karin. "Never forget me ok? Don't forget me, or Oppa. When all of the Aizen stuff is sorted out I'll come back to Soul Society and I'll come looking for you ok?" Yoona grinned.<em>  
>"<em>You'll find me Unnie?"<em>  
>"<em>Of course! I'll try my hardest! I might not be quick, but I'll definitely find you, ok?" Yoona nodded and hugged Karin.<em>  
>"<em>I'll find you and Oppa too, Unnie! I won't give up either!"<em>  
>"<em>Ok! Make sure you stay safe ok?" Yoona nodded again.<em>  
>"<em>I will Unnie. I'll be safe, I'll grow up well and I'll find you and Oppa!" Karin hugged her tightly, and kissed Yoona's check.<em>

"_I guess I'll see you later then." Karin put Yoona down and was about to call the others until she remember the photos she had in her bag. She had managed to convince Tōshirō to go into a photo booth with her when they had gone clothes shopping. She pulled the strip of photos out of her bag and ripped off the last photo on it, the one where they both actually smiling. She gave it to Yoona and talked to her. "Have this Yoona. Keep it safe. If you really want to try and find us while we try to find you, then you can show this to people, because somebody might recognise us, ok?" Yoona smiled, nodded and put the small photo in her pocket. Karin called the rest of the group back so now everyone was in the room again. Yoona smiled and said goodbye to everyone. Rukia unsheathed her Zanpaktō and turned it round so the end of the hilt was facing Yoona. Yoona waved to everyone for one last time before Rukia lightly tapped her head with the Zanpaktō, successfully performing the soul burial. Yoona looked at Karin and smiled just before she sunk into the light, causing Karin's heart to ache. Karin knew she'd miss Yoona a lot, but she meant what she said. When she was available to look for her, she would._

Karin sighed again at her memories of Yoona, and Tōshirō for that matter. It's not that she didn't love Ichigo and Rukia dearly, but she felt more connected to Tōshirō and Yoona. She remembered Jinta joking about how she had already started a family, that she had gained a husband and a child when she wasn't looking. She was embarrassed and annoyed at the time, but the more she thought about that statement the truer it sounded. Well, she wouldn't class Yoona as her child, or even close to her child, and she wouldn't class Tōshirō as her husband either. She didn't think they were any where near marriage. But it was the easiest and closest thing to class the two as. Family. And neither were with her right now.

XxXxXxXxXxX

It had now been three weeks since Tōshirō had left the Living World, which sucked. A LOT. Karin missed Tōshirō so much to the point where she had actually broken down and cried, much to her annoyance. It wasn't that she couldn't live without him or anything like that. She didn't depend on him. She could be happy without him. However, she was a hell of a lot happier with him than she was without. There was no denying it. He had gone from the boy who saved her life, to her best friend, to her partner, but she had not seen him in 3 weeks. Of course, he still phoned everyday and those phone calls were the best part of her day, but it wasn't enough. She wanted to see him, but she refused to be clingy, so she tried to mentally distance herself from him until he got back. Yeah...that lasted about 5 minutes. On the bright side, the captains were apparently getting closer to finding a solution, but the tone of voice Tōshirō had used led Karin to believe that they were just ruling stuff out that wouldn't work instead of thinking about solutions that would.

Interestingly, Soul Society had contacted her since Tōshirō's leave about her increasing spiritual pressure. They had been keeping a close eye on her reiatsu ever since it spiked 3 weeks ago and they noticed that it was increasing at a fast, but steady rate, probably due to the constant exposure to her brother, who was known for being unable to control his reiatsu. They had asked her to seriously think about being a shinigami, but warned her that it would mean she would have to abandon her human body. (Well, if she wanted to be a shinigami safely.) In other words, she'd have to kill herself before she could become a shinigami. If she was honest, dying wasn't a big issue to her. If anything it was something she had to get out of the way for her to live her life properly. She knew it sounded strange, especially as it's a human instinct to keep yourself alive and there's so much pressure and fear involved in what happens after death when you're human. While she was still human, she wasn't ordinary. After spending a good 7 maybe 8 months living in Soul Society the idea of death lost it's sting. When Karin compared her school work to the work shinigami did, her little maths and science textbooks which would never actually get her anywhere seemed so insignificant. She had never chosen a job or any sort of career she wanted to do in the human world, nothing appealed to her. Get stuck in a boring job that you hate just to feed yourself so you can age and when you die you can look middle aged for 200 years in Soul Society? Assuming you die at that age. Her family now lived in Soul Society, her closest friends were in Soul Society and her 'boyfriend' was in Soul Society. What was the actual point in staying alive? She couldn't see any, except that she would actually have to kill herself. That scared her slightly, but other than that? The only reason she was in the Living World right now is because she had to be. And if they really were getting closer to defeating Aizen, she'd be able to return soon.

Karin talked to Ichigo about it, both of them felt that the long conversation was awkward, but they had managed to agree on some things. Ichigo was appalled that Karin had even thought about at first, but after thinking about it while they were talking, she did have a point. What was left for her in the human world any more? Everything had moved to Soul Society and she was just trying to make her own life easier. But he couldn't take the idea of Karin killing herself. That put him off it completely. He wasn't even sure why, as there were ways you can kill yourself with little pain these days, and he had been seriously injured AND killed before in battle. He put it down to her being his little sister. Ichigo was surprised at Karin while they were having the conversation. He couldn't stop himself from wondering where this woman had come from. He remembered her as a little girl with short hair and a temper, and here she was calmly negotiating serious matters with well thought out arguments and was compromising where she felt it was acceptable. During that conversation it had hit Ichigo hard how much she had grown up. He was glad though, with the way she turned out. If he faulted himself for anything, it was that he was powerful but he didn't use his brains enough, he just used instincts. Karin thought everything out and then acted, but she didn't over-think. If she got into a discussion (or argument) with someone she made sure she knew all the facts before speaking. And when she did argue, she always won. She could argue her way out of anything. If he was brutally honest with himself, she was a lot more intelligent then he had originally thought she was.

Somehow, Rukia had been dragged into the conversation, and she, like Karin was the kind of person to listen to both sides before choosing. After talking about the situation for a while though Rukia noticed that Ichigo wasn't opposing Karin, even if he didn't notice. He was just picking problems and stating his worry about things that could go wrong. And what kind of a brother doesn't do that? After listening to the two argue for a while it had transpired that Ichigo's biggest worry was Karin loosing her memories, which Rukia had solved almost straight away. "Ichigo, I doubt you have to worry about that. If she killed herself in Soul Society, she wouldn't have to have a soul burial, and if she killed herself here she could probably just go through a Senkaimon! After you dealt with Aizen Soul Society has felt like they owe you, a lot. Then Aizen, who they had thought was locked away completely started to mess around with your little sister. If you ask them to take her to Soul Society through a Senkaimon rather than a soul burial, they will do it."

After the lengthy conversation finished, the three of them had agreed that the biggest issues were Yuzu, and the part where she had to actually kill herself. Karin had thought about it for a long time, and had come to the decision where she wouldn't even think about becoming a shinigami until Aizen is dealt with, and during that time she would drop hints to Yuzu whenever she spoke to her, so hopefully it wouldn't come as a huge shock to her when Karin told her what she was planning to do. To tell the truth, Karin had made up her mind 5 minutes after Soul Society had contacted her, but she felt like she needed someone to agree with her, someone to tell her she wasn't crazy for wanting to die. Anyway, Yuzu was a smart girl. Karin knew she would be horrified at first, but once she overcomes the initial shock, she'd probably respect Karin's decision. Especially seeing as Karin's heard Yuzu express a slight interest in joining the 4th squad a couple times before.

Karin felt a little lighter, literally as if a weight had been lifted from her. She hadn't realised it before, but she was previously worried about her future. She couldn't find a job she wanted. Not a realistic one anyway. Karin had basically just sorted out the main decision of her career. Unfortunately she reminded herself that this could only happen when Aizen was gone for good, and the weight she felt lift off her dropped straight back down onto her again. Little did she know, that it wouldn't be long until Aizen's fall.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Suì-Fēng was sitting at her desk in her house, skimming though some books she had found in a local library. They had seemed that they might've been useful at the time, but now she wasn't so sure. She sighed impatiently and moved onto the next book. 'Malicious Medieval Murders'. Suì-Fēng doubted she'd come across something useful, but she started to look though anyway. The only thing that had made her stop on a certain double page was the quite frankly disgusting sketch depicting the victim of the murder. But when she thought about it...could it work? This method of killing? Oh yes, it would be unethical, gruesome and foul, but the chance of it working was high. She closed the book, tucked it under her arm and shunpoed her way to the Captain Commander's office, her eagerness caused by the thought of Aizen finally never being a problem again.

* * *

><p><strong>Well what do you know, I found the plot! Don't be surprised if the next chapter ends up long and full of stuff happening! (Finally XD) I know I'm going to be writing a battle scene really soon which shall be interesting, as I've never really done one properly before. This chapter was basically the build up to the climax. I wonder if this chapter turned out ok seeing as there was barely any HitsuKarin in it. It was annoying me as I wrote it but I can't change the plot now XD<strong>

**I just realised that Yoona is ALWAYS eating eggs in some form XD Ah well XD Look forward to the next chapter!**


	8. Coming Closer

**This is officially the hardest chapter of a story I have ever had to write. (It's also the longest.) Seriously, I've been working on this for days and days, and I'm still fairly sure that this is awful. I apologize in advance. I honestly hadn't originally planned for any of the stuff that happened in this chapter to actually take place, but I dunno, it just happened XD I hope it isn't as bad as I think it is, and I hope you enjoy it. ^^ As usual, thank you so much for all of the alerts, favourites and reviews! =D**

**Also, I'd like to thank all my readers! This is my longest fic by far, and it has the most reviews, and the most story alerts. Thank you so much! ^^ I really appreciate it guys, thanks a lot! =D  
><strong>

**Review Replies:**

**Bleached-Whale: **I'm so glad you liked Ichigo's reaction! I was kinda nervous about that because people seem to love the whole 'kill the potential boyfriend' reaction. Ooh...you're not gonna like the start of this chapter, but you'll probably love the end. XD Oh god, your last comment made me laugh for ages. XD**  
>windkikyo: <strong>Ah well, I'm sure you won't be dissapointed with this chapter then ;D**  
>Every shadow has its twin: <strong>Aww thank you! I hope you like this chapter too! ^^**  
>Cittyno2: <strong>Yeah, not 100% how I'm going to write it, but hey. Being a shinigami has gotta be pretty cool though, so it can't be that bad. *sigh* I miss writing Yoona already XD

**NightSparrow15:** You know what? I don't even care if your review from chapter 6 shouldn't really be replied here. You wrote the two longest reviews I've ever recieved I swear. So here goes. XD **Chapter 6 review:** I reasoned that family is thing that Karin would probably need after something like that ^^ I love children, so it's easy for me to write things like this XD Personally I think that if Tōshirō wasn't a kid kinda guy before, someone like Yoona might change him a bit. I mean, the majority of the kids in my area are rude and completely disobedient, which actually put me off the idea of kids, but when I come across a kid who actually behaves it changes my opinion of them XD I suppose I'm channeling myself through him XD Gotta love teenage hormones (and at the same time hate them XD) I'm trying to incorporate their hormones, and their shyness, and the fact that I find it awkward to write scenes like that XD Yeah, Aizen's a real pain in the ass. I used to like the character, but after he went all butterfly and wouldn't die I started to dislike him. XD Huh...you bring up a good point, this isn't supposed to be a personal conversation XD (However, no I haven't been to that beach XD It's in USA if I'm not mistaken? I've never been to America.) You're so sweet, I love you too my dear. **Chapter 7 review:** XD I review like that sometimes. Haha, screw the system, you still are in the review reply XD Indeed, Tōshirō is smart (and worried XD). I love the way you phrased that XD "Don't worry baby, I'm coming back for you." I have a feeling you'll like this chapter XD Indeed, Ichigo isn't a complete idiot all the time. X'D My my, you migth actually love this chapter XD We think alike! I was thinking about doing that for Yuzu XD Oh my god, I love your way of thinking. Choking on food or drugs XD What a fine way to go XD We really do think alike, you seem to know what I'm going to write...you sneaky, sneaky person. XD (Whoa...look at how much I wrote XD)

**Forbidden-Hanyou:** Why thank you! I hope you like this chapter too! ^^  
><strong>Fallen-Yuki:<strong> I'll try and incorporate all your reviews into this reply ^^ I tried to press enter more, often and I hope you find this chapter more easier to read! Sorry about that. ^^ And glad you like it so far! I agree, it's a little excessive, but trust me, you can do some crazy shiz if you're panicking about someone you care about. Not enough Tōshirō? I hope you like this chaper then! =P  
><strong>ToushirouKarin:<strong> I like your username! XD I hope you enjoy this chapter ^^  
><strong>Kali98:<strong> I'm so glad you like it! XD I didn't know what you meant until I read in the brackets, I was sitting there like WHAT! XD But yes, I like the idea too ^^ I wouldn't put her in Tōshirō's division, don't worry XD Actually I already know which one I'd put her in =P Hope you like this chapter. ^^

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><p>Chapter 8: Coming Closer<p>

Suì-Fēng walked back to her house, smirking. Yamamoto agreed with her idea, and he would arrange a captain's meeting early tomorrow morning. To tell the truth, she hadn't been sleeping too well ever since the news of Aizen getting stronger was announced. She knew she was sleeping better than some people, but she was still used to getting a couple more hours each night. Suì-Fēng didn't like the idea of Aizen getting powerful again and breaking out, so she was pleased that her suggestion was approved. Sure, there wasn't a 100% chance of success, but at least they had an actual plan. She went to bed, reasoning that an early night would be a good idea if she was supposed to be up and about by five or six o'clock.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō was woken up by a messenger knocking on his front door loudly. He groaned slightly and quickly put on his uniform. He jogged to the door, running his hands through his hair a couple times, trying to make it neater than it was right now. He opened the door and the messenger bowed and greeted him politely straight away. "Captain Hitsugaya, captain of the 10th squad. You are required to attend a captain's meeting immediately." Tōshirō nodded and bowed his head slightly.  
>"Thank you for informing me, I shall head over there right now." The messenger bowed while on his knees and left. Tōshirō went back inside briefly to check his appearance and then shunpoed his way to the first squad.<p>

Yamamoto wasted no time. When all of the captains had arrived Yamamoto hit his staff against the floor, grabbing all of the captains' attention. He spoke loudly and with authority. "Captains! We may finally have a solution to the problem of Aizen's ever-growing strength. The captain of the second squad came to me yesterday evening with a suggestion. Elaborate, second squad captain." Suì-Fēng nodded and stepped forward, addressing all of the captains.  
>"Yesterday I came across a book documenting unusual or particularly noteworthy murders in the medieval era. One of the ones documented seems to have a chance of defeating Aizen for good." There was small, somewhat excited murmur among the captains after she stated this; Tōshirō wasn't talking or whispering however, he was hanging on her every word. Suì-Fēng continued speaking after the murmuring died down. "The murder in question involved cutting out the victim's heart, and then going on to slice him into quarters." A couple of the captains grimaced slightly. It wasn't an honourable way of killing someone. It involved mutilating someone's corpse, but Aizen needed to be dealt with. Suì-Fēng continued to speak, "Yes I realise that Aizen is immortal, however if we were to permanently separate the pieces of his body, a good couple miles from each at the very least, logically they would stay dead, none of them being connected to all of the vital organs needed, including the brain and the heart. Even if the sections of his body could come back to life, they would die instantly again due to being separated, and if we bury the pieces, it's even more likely. I am unaware of how well this will work, but I do believe it's worth an attempt." Most of the captains agreed that it would be a good plan, but others had problems with it. Unohana stepped forward and spoke up.<br>"While it appears likely that would work, doesn't it seem rather inhumane?" Suì-Fēng turned to her and replied.  
>"I can see why you would think that, being a woman of compassion, and to a certain degree, I agree with you. However I am, quite frankly, sick of Aizen. And he certainly hasn't treated some of your patients humanely. I understand that this method isn't nice, but it would be effective, and in the end isn't it the defeat of Aizen we're looking for? Keeping him locked up isn't working and he's immortal, so we're going to have to try some unconventional ways of dealing with him." While Unohana didn't seem to be happy with the arrangement, she did understand and accept Suì-Fēng's reasoning. Tōshirō meanwhile was happy with this. He felt bad for liking the idea seeing as it really was inhumane, especially if Aizen's body parts could indeed come back to life despite being separated. That would mean he would be dying millions and millions of times over, experiencing pain every single time. It was an awful thing, but Tōshirō knew it was their best chance at dealing with Aizen for good, so he wasn't going to argue.<p>

The rest of the meeting was discussing who would be responsible for Aizen's death. Most of the captains put themselves forward (including Tōshirō), all of them knowing how important it was for this to be carried out. By the end of the meeting it had been decided that Suì-Fēng, Byakuya, Renji, Hisagi, Kenpachi and Ikkaku would be the ones to carry out the deed. They had agreed not to involve too many people, especially captains because if were something to go drastically wrong they would have to deal with a severe lack of captains and Aizen at the same time, which Soul Society simply couldn't do. The afore mentioned six were chosen by their abilities which had been proved in previous battles and their reliability in following orders. Due to his personal experiences and grudge against Aizen, Tōshirō wanted to be in the team, but the majority of the other captains wouldn't allow it, not wanting a child to be involved in such a task, much to Tōshirō's annoyance. After his fairly constant asking got shot down every time, he finally gave up and complied, knowing he wasn't going to get anywhere. After the meeting he calmly shunpoed to his office, wondering what the best way would be to tell Karin.

XxXxXxXxXxX

When Tōshirō had finally phoned the apartment it was Ichigo who picked up the phone, telling Tōshirō that Karin and Rukia were at Uruhara's at the moment, training, which had surprised Tōshirō. He knew they were trying to train her to shut her reiatsu completely, but they didn't have to go to Uruhara's to do that. All it took was concentration and practice. If she was at Uruhara's training then it meant that she was trying to get better at something.  
>"She's training? What is she training for?"<br>"Oh nothing, Yoruichi just noticed that she had a knack for hand-to-hand combat, and it's not like training her to defend herself properly isn't going to hurt."  
>"Ah I see, although Kurosaki, I was under the impression that she could defend herself with ease without training?" Ichigo smirked.<br>"She kicked your ass or something?" Tōshirō rolled his eyes.  
>"No, but I know that you've been on the end of some of her assaults." Ichigo's eyebrow twitched.<br>"Touché Tōshirō, touché. But like I said, training isn't going to hurt her. Might hurt you, but not her." Tōshirō wanted to avoid as much trouble as he could with Ichigo, so he humoured him.  
>"Kurosaki, she could probably kick my ass without the training. Hand-to-hand combat is not my strong point."<br>"Damn straight. Why did you phone the home phone anyway?"  
>"We may have a solution to Aizen."<br>"Really! How likely is it to work?"  
>"We don't actually know, it's not like we calculated it or anything, but logically it should work." Ichigo nodded, he was trying to not get his hopes up. (Plus he felt it somewhat awkward to talk to Tōshirō casually like this when he knew that he liked his little sister.)<br>"That's awesome. I'll tell the girls when they get back."  
>"Ok, If you want more details I'll be phoning Karin later."<br>"Uh-huh. Well...bye."  
>Goodbye Kurosaki." And with that Tōshirō hung up the phone putting it back down on the base in his office. Rangiku was casually sitting on the office sofa, filing her nails while occasionally drink from her bottle of sake.<p>

"So...Captain. Who was that?"  
>"I phoned Ichigo Kurosaki to tell him about the plan for Aizen."<br>"Oh I see. I thought you two were on better terms though Captain?" Tōshirō got to work on the paperwork while continuing the conversation.  
>"What do you mean Matsumoto?"<br>"Well to me it seemed like that was an awkward conversation." Tōshirō continued the paperwork without looking up.  
>"I suppose you could describe it as awkward."<br>"But why though Captain?" Tōshirō sighed, knowing she wouldn't let it drop until he gave her an answer.  
>"I think he still doesn't like the idea of Karin and I being close."<br>"Eh? But Captain you're so great for each other!" Tōshirō lifted his head from his work looking at Rangiku, raising an eyebrow. "It's true Captain! You're both always happier when the other one is around, and she's changing you."  
>"What are you on about?"<br>"You've never been so talkative Captain! And you know, I heard that stress stops you from growing, which would explain a lot when it comes to you Captain. But you're taller than when you left for the Living World."  
>"Really?...I hadn't noticed." Rangiku smiled.<br>"The way I see it captain, you two are perfect for each other." Tōshirō exhaled slightly heavier than usual (but not quite a sigh) and continued to do the paperwork again, not having any clue how to answer Rangiku's statement. Rangiku sighed somewhat knowingly and smiled. "Well Captain, I'll see you later!"  
>"Wait! What about your paperwork?" Unfortunately it was too late, either she didn't hear, or she chose not to hear. Tōshirō rolled his eyes and kept working on the paperwork.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin, Ichigo and Rukia were sitting round the kitchen table, Karin eating a lot due to working hard in training. However she was in deep thought. Ichigo had told her that Soul Society was getting close to defeating Aizen, which had got her thinking about his actual defeat and what would happen afterwords. Well the answer seemed pretty obvious. She'd go back to living in Soul Society, and everything would go back to normal. Unless she became a shinigami. The more she thought about it, the more it scared her. Not the actual shinigami bit, she was good at fighting and had always been intrigued by kido ever since she saw Rukia perform it, but having to kill herself to become a shinigami? She knew full well what would happen, nothing. She's just leave her body, go to Soul Society and train, but the thought of killing herself scared the hell out of her. She considered backing out of her idea, Karin really didn't like the idea of killing herself. But honestly, if she was going to become a shinigami, she'd rather do it soon. She knew full well that shinigami age differently, and to tell the truth she'd rather she aged at the same rate as Tōshirō. She knew it was kinda bad to think this way, but she didn't want to look 30 when Tōshirō looked 15. In theory, she wouldn't mind, but Karin knew that in reality she would feel awkward. She wanted to continue their relationship, but the thought of doing that while she was middle aged and he was still a teenager repelled her slightly. She knew it was an awful thing, and how age shouldn't matter, and to be honest if it came to that, she probably wouldn't care, but she knew she would feel more comfortable this way. Karin knew that she wanted to be a shinigami, she knew she wanted to do it soon and she knew she had to kill herself. But she just had to get over that obstacle. She knew that she had to do it. She could feel it, she just had a mental block over the idea of suicide, which she supposed was instinct.

Later on Tōshirō called Karin's mobile like he told Ichigo earlier that he would. Karin moved out of the living room and into her bedroom when she started talking to him, lying down on the bed. "So how are you feeling today Rin?"  
>"Same as usual. Nothing's wrong or anything. Although I am tired. And missing you." Tōshirō smiled sadly at Karin's last sentence.<br>"I miss you too...You're tired? Ichigo told me you were training earlier."  
>"Yep! It was really hard, Yoruichi is way too fast. I got near her, but I could never touch her."<br>"You got near her? I'm impressed. You know her nickname is Flash Goddess right?"  
>"Really? No one told me."<br>"Wait a sec Rin, she was shunpoing during the training right?"  
>"Yeah."<br>"So how did you get near her? You can't shunpo."  
>"Yes Tōsh, but I can use logic. Near the end of it I could predict her movements for the majority of the time." Tōshirō sat down on his bed, holding his phone between his face and his shoulder while taking of his sandals.<br>"Oh fair enough. Whenever I hear of a Kurosaki fighting or training I immediately think they're just using blind instinct instead of brains."  
>"Oi!" Tōshirō chuckled. "I'll make you pay for that comment!" She said in a joking tone.<br>"Please Rin, what could you do to me?"  
>"Oh I'll think of something." Tōshirō did not like the mischievous tone her voice had used just then. He changed the subject.<br>"So why are you training?"  
>"Well I figured there was no reason not to. Although that does remind me, I kinda have to talk to you about something." Tōshirō leant backwards so he was now lying down on the bed like Karin, paying full attention to the conversation.<p>

"What's up Rin?"  
>"I...I want to become a shinigami."<br>"I swear to god Rin if you're thinking about doing it the way your brother did-"  
>"Are you kidding! Of course not. I'm not stupid, although in his defence he was desperate at the time."<br>"True. So you want become a shinigami?..Am I supposed to be surprised or?" Karin laughed somewhat nervously, and continued.  
>"No, it's not that...I just wanted to give you a heads up."<br>"Why?"  
>"Well Tōsh...It means I gotta kill myself." Tōshirō sat up again, the phone call having his complete and undivided attention.<br>"Wait, what!"  
>"Well I'm still human..."<br>"Fuck I forget that sometimes...Still, Rin are you serious? What would you brother say?"  
>"He's agreed." Tōshirō's eyes widened while Karin fidgeted nervously on her bed.<br>"YOUR brother agreed!"  
>"Yeah...well he's not too keen on me committing suicide, but I think he's slowly getting over it, especially as I said I'd try and make it as painless as possible."<br>"Oh right, well then every thing's better now." Karin sighed heavily.  
>"Please don't get angry at me Tōsh...I've thought about it for weeks now. Committing suicide scares me, but I gotta do it, because it's the only way I can become a shinigami." The two stayed silent for a minute or two before Tōshirō finally sighed and laid back down on his bed.<p>

"So you've already made up your mind?"  
>"Pretty much."<br>"Figured as much. So whatever I say isn't going to stop you?"  
>"Probably not." Karin was fidgeting a lot more right now, she felt like these next few moments would be crucial to her life.<br>"Fine...I can...understand I suppose. I get why you'd want to do it this way...In the end...I'd rather you do it this way too...just...promise me something" Karin lay still on her bed, hanging on his every word.  
>"You'll never forget me right?" Karin could feel the worry in his voice.<br>"Tōsh, we've figured out a way so I won't forgot my memories."  
>"Still.." Karin smiled, she felt touched that she meant this much to him.<br>"Ok, I promise. I will never forget you. Besides Tōsh, how could I?" Tōshirō sighed.  
>"Easily." Karin rolled her eyes.<br>"Please, with your hair? No one forgets you in a hurry."  
>"Haha Rin. Haha."<br>"I'm kidding. Seriously though, I can't forget you. I'll admit your looks do help with that, bright white hair and gorgeous eyes, but you obviously have other great qualities."  
>"I'm sorry, I have gorgeous what now?" Karin slapped her hand over her mouth, realising what she said.<br>"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I never said that word."  
>"Oh you so did." Karin blew a raspberry down the phone, causing Tōshirō to speak in an amused tone. "Can I just say that I love your maturity?" Karin laughed.<p>

"Tōsh, I really do miss you. I miss doing this sort of thing in person."  
>"I know Rin...I miss this and you too. But we may be able to see each other again soon." Both of them smiled at the thought.<br>"I hope so...Ugh I should go, it's late. I haven't even taken a shower yet."  
>"So you're leaving me for a couple of metal pipes and water." Tōshirō spoke jokingly again.<br>"Oh shut up you. When did you even make jokes anyway?" Tōshirō shrugged.  
>"I suppose I started to get into the habit after being around you and Yoona all the time." Karin smiled and continued the conversation, the two speaking until it had hit midnight when the two realised that Karin still hadn't taken a shower.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Suì-Fēng was calmly making her way down to Aizen's cell with five other shinigamis following her. (Well, she appeared calm, but truthfully she was incredibly nervous. There was no doubting the power that this man had.) She was chosen to lead the group because she was a captain and she was the one who suggested the method. Kenpachi and Ikkaku looked eager for this to be carried out, Renji and Hisagi slightly nervous, but strong and Byakuya was walking along with them in his usual prideful, dignified manner. The group saw no point in coming up with a huge elaborate plan. Aizen was tied up, which made this a lot easier. They were just going to open the defences, go inside, close the defences back up again, remove the ties and the restraints (they absorbed power and reiatsu so Aizen's power wouldn't effect people that much, which meant that any attack that involved reiatsu would just be absorbed into the straps) and carry out the defeat of Aizen.

XxXxXxXxXxX

It had taken an hour for the group to get all the way down to Aizen's cell and remove and replace all of the defences. All six shinigami kept their eyes on him, refusing to let their expressions soften at all. It didn't matter to Aizen, he just kept smirking, looking rather smug with himself. 'Imbeciles. Don't they know I'm immortal? They can't do anything.' Suì-Fēng cleared her head of all thoughts, trying to get rid of her nerves, in fact, the whole group was (Well except maybe Kenpachi.) She slowly approached Aizen, as did Byakuya and Hisagi who were ready to bind Aizen with kido the very second Suì-Fēng removes the restraints he currently had.

Suì-Fēng looked at Byakuya signalling that she was about to remove them, knowing that out of Byakuya and Hisagi, he was the quicker one. She removed them quickly, Aizen lunged towards her neck the instant he was free. Suì-Fēng's eyes flashed dangerously, as if she was disgusted by Aizen's mere touch. She kicked him hard behind the knees causing him to bend down slightly, loosing his grip on Suì-Fēng's neck giving her the chance to wrench off his hands and shunpoed to the back of him. She quickly twisted his arms and bound his wrists together while Byakuya and Hisagi both performed the 'Six Rods Prison of Light' kido spell at the same time. Kenpachi, Ikkaku and Renji saw this as their chance. Kenpachi took off his eye patch releasing his immense reiatsu while Ikkaku and Renji released their shikai. Kenpachi quickly cut deep into Aizen's chest while he was still slightly surprised that the shinigami had managed to bind him again quickly, just with different methods than he had previously been bound with. Aizen ignored the pain, and still trying to break through the spells, the yellow pillars cracking slightly. Kenpachi went for it again, except this time Aizen tried to dodge, Kenpachi cut him in his abdomen instead. Aizen, grunting in pain slightly continued to try and break the pillars that were trapping him. Suì-Fēng released her shikai, her better judgement telling her that this was about it get rather difficult.

XxXxXxXxXxX

No matter how hard the group of six shinigami tried, they simply could not manage the task. The more they cut into him, the quicker he healed himself; it almost looked like they were training his healing ability. Byakuya, seeing that this was going nowhere advised the group to stop for now. Reluctantly, Suì-Fēng trapped Aizen back into his old restraints, opened up the defences to allow everyone to get out of Aizen's cells then closed it back up again. She pinched the bridge of her nose.

"Well that was a waste of time." Byakuya observed her for a moment before speaking.  
>"I beg to differ Captain Suì-Fēng. If his healing ability was slower I'm sure we could defeat him. Considering that this ability of his isn't going to slow down, we merely need to speed up." Suì-Fēng sighed and nodded.<br>"Good observation, that makes sense now that I think about it. Ok, new plan. We all keep training. I don't give a damn about what orders you're supposed to be doing. Just focus on getting yourself faster. I give you all a month and I'll see how we've improved. You're all free to leave now." Five shinigami left the opening of the prison, leaving Suì-Fēng to sigh and lean against the wall. She knew that Byakuya was right. They did just need to get faster, but that all takes times. She didn't know what she expected to happen down in Aizen's cell, except that there was a small, almost childish part of her hoping that they could've sorted it out in that one night and everything would be dealt with. But of course, that would be too easy, wouldn't it? Suì-Fēng sighed again before shunpoing to her house.

XxXxXxXxXxX

After Tōshirō had learned that the 'killing Aizen for the last time' plan failed (or at least for now) he phoned Karin, even though it was 3 o'clock in the morning. Karin woke up, looked at the clock and immediately felt irritated. She found it surprising that even after she found out it was Tōshirō she still felt irritated.  
>"Tōshirō, why in the actual fucked up world are you calling me at this hour!"<br>"The plan to kill Aizen failed. Although I've heard rumours that they've already come up with a new plan." Karin groaned.  
>"Well that's just fan-fucking-tastic. No really, best news I've heard all year."<br>"Sorry Rin."  
>"It's not like it's your fault. You don't have to be sorry. No one does, except for Aizen."<br>"Somehow I don't think that's going to happen."  
>"Well duh."<br>"Hey it's 3 o'clock in the morning!" Karin scoffed.  
>"YOU phoned ME, not the other way around. No complaining. You should feel honoured with my presence at 3 o'clock in the morning. I almost ignored you." Tōshirō rolled his eyes, and took off his sandals, deciding to take a shower after he was done on the phone with Karin, today had been a long day.<p>

"Oh of course Rin-Hime! **[A.N. Hime means princess, he's literally calling her Princess Rin.]** How silly of me! Please accept my humble apologies." Karin giggled and blew a raspberry down the phone. "You're acting rather silly today." Karin rolled her eyes at the same time as she rolled around to lie on her stomach. "Tōsh, please. I'm half asleep. That's what you get for waking me up in the middle of night, which you really shouldn't do." Tōshirō sighed and started to shrug off the top part of his uniform, assuming she'd want to go back to sleep soon.  
>"Rin, what could you possibly do? We're in completely different worlds." Karin scoffed.<br>"Jeez Tōsh at this rate I'm going to have to make a list of the times you irritate me so I can get you back for every single one." Tōshirō rolled his eyes and trapped the phone between his face and his shoulder so he could fold his top while still talking.  
>"How on earth are going to get me back?"<br>"I can't tell you! You'd be prepared."  
>"Oh so you actually have an idea on how to get me back now?"<br>"Heh, I have several." Tōshirō paused for a moment.  
>"Several?"<br>"Uh-huh."  
>"How screwed am I?" Karin smirked.<p>

"Very. Seriously Tōsh, when we finally get to see each other again you won't know what hit you."  
>"Oh gee. I can't wait." Karin sat up, smirking again and spoke in a harsh yet joking tone.<br>"Excuse me Tōshirō Hitsugaya? You better not be able to wait. I am your fucking girlfriend." Tōshirō laughed.  
>"Of course I can't wait you silly woman."<br>"Damn straight." Tōshirō rolled his eyes while taking his socks off, still holding the phone between his face and his shoulder. "Listen Rin, I should go."  
>What? Why? You call me at 3 in the morning just to have a 5 minute conversation?" Tōshirō raised his eyebrow.<br>"Do you want me to talk your ear off or something? I could do with a shower."  
>"I wouldn't care if you did, and screw the shower. I'm sure talking to me is more interesting."<br>"Of course talking to you is more interesting Rin, but that doesn't stop me from needing a shower."  
>"Ugh but I still wanna talk. How badly could you need a shower anyway?" Tōshirō rolled his eyes.<br>"I've been training all day." The image of Tōshirō topless and sweaty quickly flashed through her head, causing her too blush heavily. She was almost glad he wasn't there with her right now; she knew that he would tease her for it.

Karin sighed heavily. "Can't you just like...I dunno take the phone with you?" Tōshirō smiled, rather amused, which was made obvious by his voice.  
>"What? Rin, you're still half asleep aren't you?" Karin nodded and put her head back onto her pillow.<br>"Duh. I haven't done anything to make myself wake up have I?"  
>"So go back to sleep! I'm gonna take a shower now ok?" Karin sighed heavily.<br>"Fine. But make sure you phone me tomorrow morning, kay?"  
>"Sure. Goodnight Rin."<br>"Night Tōsh." After Karin hung up the phone she put it back on her bedside table and snuggled into her covers, falling asleep fairly quickly.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin woke up to her mobile phone ringing, at 6 in the morning, causing her groan. "I swear if that's who I think it is I'm going to kill him." Sure enough, it was she expected.  
>"Morning Rin."<br>"Tōsh! This is not what I had in mind when I said morning!"  
>"Shhh, stop shouting. Everyone else is asleep right?" Karin huffed.<br>"Yeah. Why are you calling me now?"  
>"Because I managed to get permission from the Captain Commander to go to the Living World for a day." Karin bolted up from her lying down position.<br>"Seriously?"  
>"Yeah, providing I'm back before the end of the day. He allowed it because it'll take another couple of weeks at the very least to try and defeat Aizen again and apparently it's been obvious that I miss you. And according to Unohana such a separation could be detrimental to my health. I'm pretty sure she made that up though..." Karin smiled, embarrassed slightly.<p>

"I see...the Captain Commander doesn't want another 'ill captain'. How have people been able to tell that you miss me? Who's noticed?"  
>"God knows."<br>"I would've thought that you'd care Tōsh. You know, your reputation and all." Tōshirō shrugged.  
>"I don't even care. If it means I get to see you I don't care."<br>"Tōsh..." Karin smiled at Tōshirō's words.  
>"So, are you free today? No training or anything?"<br>"No training. No nothing. I haven't got anything planned."  
>"So I can come round?" Karin sighed and rolled her eyes slightly.<br>"You can always come round Tōsh. Are you gonna be here soon?"  
>"As soon as I can. I'll see you later Rin."<br>"Ok, bye." Karin sighed and collapsed back down. He was visiting her! She was actually getting to see him again. She felt incredibly happy. She started to wonder what they would get up too. As Karin thought about it more, she realised that this would be their first date...well if you wanted to be technical. It just made her more excited, however she was till tired, having a rather disrupted sleep last night. The more she thought about what could happen that day, the sleepier she got, the happy thoughts and daydreams sending her off to sleep.

XxXxXxXxXxX

When Tōshirō had managed to finally get into the Living World and into his gigai and some normal clothes it was almost 7 o'clock. He knocked on the apartment door, and a fully dressed Rukia opened the door. "Oh Captain Hitsugaya! I wasn't aware that you coming back!" Tōshirō shook his head.  
>"I'm not, unfortunately. I was given permission to come into the Living World for a day." Rukia smiled.<br>"And I assume you plan to spend the whole day with Karin?" Tōshirō nodded, while Rukia just smiled wider.  
>"That's fine, but I think she's still asleep, so is Ichigo. If you two can leave quietly I can tell him later. It'll be easier that way, trust me."<br>"Are you seriously trying to help me smuggle Karin out of here?"  
>"Are you seriously complaining Captain?"<br>"Good point. Thanks." Rukia bowed slightly and let him into the apartment, closing the door after he entered. As she walked back to the kitchen Tōshirō walked quietly to Karin's room. He knocked softly and opened the door.

He couldn't help but grin at the sight he was welcomed with. Karin had fallen asleep, wearing lilac shorts, a black hoodie which had white stars on it (that was a little too big for her so it hung off her arms slightly, the sleeves reaching her fingernails), almost knee-high socks and her hair was tied up in a messy bun. There was no denying that she looked cute. He gently shook her awake. At first her eyes were slightly unfocused and confused, but when she had recognised Tōshirō her entire faced brightened. "Tōsh!" She flung her arms round his neck while he was still bending down and pulled him closer to her. Karin hadn't realised how much she missed Tōshirō until she saw him. Tōshirō wrapped his arms around her, which was awkward due to their positions. Tōshirō withdrew his arms and Karin sat up properly. "You're here." She said happily.  
>"Of course I'm here." Karin scratched the back of her head slightly, making her bun messier.<br>"Sorry...I was really worried that I had...dreamt you calling me." Tōshirō hugged her again. She really was adorable when she was half asleep.

"So Tōsh! What were you thinking of doing today?"  
>"To be honest...I haven't thought about it...I was kinda too excited to see you." Karin grinned.<br>"Awww Tōsh...Well, that doesn't matter. I work better by winging it anyway. Although, I gotta get dressed...and do something with my hair. It looks awful." Tōshirō spoke without thinking.  
>"It looks cute." Karin's eye widened in shock briefly and then changed her expression to a questioning one.<br>"You think I look cute?" Tōshirō tried to look anywhere but Karin's face, being rather embarrassed, his cheeks tinged slightly pink.  
>"I...er..." Karin smirked playfully while Tōshirō kept trying to find answer, pretty much stammering for an entire minute before being able to formulate actual words. "So maybe I think my girlfriend's cute...Is that an issue?" Tōshirō was still looking away from Karin. Karin smiled and shook her head.<br>"I'm not cute. If anyone is, it's you." Tōshirō looked her sceptically.  
>"No I'm not, but let's not get into this argument. I mean, what a way to waste time."<p>

Karin nodded and got up from the bed, looking at Tōshirō properly. He was wearing low-waisted kinda tight blue jeans and a form fitting black t-shirt. His outfit was playing hell with her hormones. She turned round to her wardrobe, and was about to start looking for something that would play hell with his hormones (like she was going to be the weak one) she realised something. Karin turned straight back round, so she was facing Tōshirō again. She looked at him for a couple moments before commenting. "You're taller!" Tōshirō had somehow managed to grow about 2 inches since they had moved in together (which was a good month/month and a half by now.) Tōshirō was slightly worried that he had grown so much in a short space of time but when he voiced his concerns to Unohana she simply smiled at told him it was fairly normal, but he hadn't noticed that he had grown this much. Karin walked over to Tōshirō standing right in front of him, literally centimetres from him. She found that she had to look up to look into his eyes, the top of her head was only just higher than the height of his eyes. It was kinda weird, she never had to look up to see his face properly before. "So. I take it you've actually taken my advise and started sleeping then?"  
>"Sleeping more, yes. I've had to go home at a reasonable time because then I can phone you."<br>"Tch. You didn't care last night. Well anyway, would you please get out for a couple minutes? I need to change." Tōshirō obliged and walked out of the room leaving Karin alone.

She walked out of her bedroom and into the living room to Tōshirō, smirking at the look he had just given her. She was wearing her black shorts with the handcuffs along with a black tight vest top that stopped at her waist, showing off her stomach. She wore a long red cardigan over them (it stopped an inch above the bottom of her shorts), planning to button up a couple of the middle buttons so that her stomach wouldn't show when they were actually outside. Karin was still wearing long socks, except this time they went over her knee, along with high-heeled (but not too high) trainers. She had let her hair down for once; it was styled to be messy, but it still looked styled, how she had managed to get that effect Tōshirō would never know. It seemed like a strange combination at first, but Karin managed to pull it off well. In fact a little too well. Tōshirō was currently finding it very hard to speak anything but gibberish. She walked straight up to him and tip-toed slightly, and whispered in his ear. "Still cute? Or have you changed your mind?" Tōshirō knew she didn't really like being cute, so he had wondered why she took it so well earlier, and now he knew. She had planned revenge for it.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The two had started to walk down a nearby street, looking for nice cheap place to buy breakfast, in their hurry to leave the house before Ichigo woke up so he couldn't stop them they had forgotten to eat. Tōshirō loved being out with Karin, and yet the longer the two walked the more irritated he got. It felt like every single guy was checking Karin out. Either she wasn't noticing or she didn't care, but it annoyed the hell out of Tōshirō. As they turned the corner they spotted a little, fairly empty café, the only people in it being adults who were working, all of them being in smart dress. Karin remembered that is was the summer holidays now in the Living World, so there wouldn't be many kids about yet. They entered the little café and sat down at a small table. A couple of the other customers seemed to be disappointed that teenagers had now entered the café, assuming the worst, while others (mainly the women) that it was sweet that the two were eating breakfast together despite it being early.

After they had finished eating breakfast they paid and thanked the waitress and walked back outside, noticing that the streets had become a lot busier than when they went in. The fact that there were more people and it was a little later in the day the heat had increased. Karin wasn't fairing too badly due to wearing very little (or at least very little for her) which was only covered with a thin cardigan. Thin, but opaque. Tōshirō was having no such luck though, it had only reached 8 and he was already struggling. Karin dreaded to think how bad he would feel in the middle of the day. Getting frustrated with the general public wasn't helping Tōshirō either. The more people where out and about, the more were practically leering. Ok, so it wasn't that many, and he supposed it was understandable seeing as Karin was beautiful, but hello! She was clearly with him dammit. Or was it not clear? The Living World confused Tōshirō sometimes...then again, was it just the dating thing and relationship thing confusing him? He had no idea. Karin grabbed his attention by waving her hand in front of his face. "Oi! Stop zoning out."  
>"So what do you want to do? I don't pretend to be an expert on the Living World. I don't know what you can do." Karin sighed while she thought.<br>"To be honest Tōsh, I don't think it really matters. We tend to have fun whatever we do."  
>"So what, we're just walking until we find something?" Karin shrugged.<br>"Pretty much."  
>"Great..." Karin stuck her tongue out at him.<br>"Look I know you prefer to work with a plan, but that has to get boring. Just go with the flow sometimes!" Tōshirō was about to comment until Karin saw a HUGE arcade, she grabbed arm and pulled him towards the arcade. When they were finally inside Karin looked round excitedly. It wasn't just an inside arcade, it looked more like a cross between an arcade and an amusement park, there was even a small ferris wheel inside. Tōshirō stared at everything in wonder, having no idea what any of the machines inside the building did.

"What on earth?" Karin grinned.  
>"It's an arcade with a couple of fairground rides!"<br>"That...doesn't really help me out here." Karin laughed and pulled him across the huge room, wanting to go on the ghost train. Tōshirō stared at the train while they were in the line. Why would human invent something to deliberately scare themselves? And why would you want to go on it? He found out quickly. While he knew that they were safe and nothing could happen the ride kept making him jump, and he swore he heard Karin squeal slightly at one point. The kids who were dared by their friends to go on the train were screaming, which somehow made it scarier. When Karin and Tōshirō got off the train he stared at her for an explanation. Karin rolled her eyes. "It gets your adrenaline going, which makes it exciting." Tōshirō smiled slightly at her answer, still confused.  
>"Being scared is exciting?"<br>"Well yeah, when you know that nothing is actually going to happen and you're not going to get hurt. It's the same as people watching horror movies. Although if you ask me, they're scarier." Tōshirō nodded slowly.  
>"That's messed up." Karin laughed.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

After spending a good couple of hours in the arcade (and a depressing amount of money) the two decided it was time to leave, and time to eat. After they had sat down on a bench and eaten Karin noticed that she was already pretty tired. The adrenaline and hyperness had worn off, and it didn't go unnoticed. "You want to go back home?" Karin shook her head.  
>"No way. I want to spend time with you, without Ichi-nii butting in." Tōshirō looked at Karin.<br>"Does it matter? If we're only hanging out?" Karin smiled, trying not to laugh as she rolled her eyes.  
>"Yes it matters."<br>"Why?"  
>"You're so naïve." Tōshirō's eyebrows narrowed, he was thoroughly confused.<br>"Huh?" Karin rolled her eyes again and shuffled over so she was literally right next to Tōshirō. She leant up to kiss him on the lips gently and briefly, blushing slightly as she pulled back, looking at her hands which were currently in her lap. Tōshirō smiled at the now embarrassed Karin and spoke in an amused tone. "Oh. That's what you meant." Karin nodded, still refusing to look at Tōshirō, and still blushing. Tōshirō had to admit, he loved that expression. "Rin?" She spoke without looking up.

"Yeah?"  
>"Are you really that embarrassed?" She finally looked up.<br>"Well yeah...I'm really shy when it comes to this sort of thing. I would've thought that you'd be more embarrassed."  
>"Well, you gotta bear in mind that when I was growing up, a kiss like that was just a greeting." Karin raised her eyebrow.<br>"Just how old are you Tōsh?"  
>"You don't want to know." Karin raised her eyebrow higher, but decided to let the age thing go, knowing it would make him uncomfortable.<p>

"So...Tōsh...If that kiss wasn't too serious to you, what kiss would be?" Now it was his turn to blush, although he was a lot less pink than Karin was, having more control over his reactions than Karin did. Tōshirō took a deep breath (which wasn't noticed) and leant over to Karin, gently holding her chin up, keeping his hand there. He kept leaning until he was barely two centimetres from Karin's lips, and he whispered. "This." Karin shivered slightly at his voice while Tōshirō closed the gap between them. Karin gasped when he sucked her bottom lip gently, and tangled her hands in his hair. When they break apart Karin was bright red. "Tōshirō...that was..." Quite frankly, she couldn't finish the sentence. Tōshirō was blushing too, but again, less than Karin. "You ok Rin? You're insanely red." Karin nodded and spoke almost breathlessly.

"Duh." She leant against Tōshirō's side so she could avoid looking at Tōshirō's face, knowing she'd never be able to stop blushing if she did. It was annoying her, she didn't want to be so effected, she could actually feel how hot her cheeks were. Seeing as Tōshirō's vice captain was none other than Rangiku Matsumoto, he had been exposed to a lot and that Tōshirō was rather practised in controlling his emotions he was no where near as red as Karin was. He thought it was adorable, she was really embarrassed. He supposed it made sense seeing as she'd never had a boyfriend before and probably wasn't as exposed to relationship and sexual happenings as he was, considering she hadn't even made it to high school before she was taken to Soul Society, and the kind of family she had been brought up with; and like she had previously stated, she was shy when it came to these sort of things. When the colour of Karin's cheeks finally died down Tōshirō suggested going to the cinema, stating that it was always colder in there. Karin nodded, glad at the suggestion of going somewhere air-conditioned.

XxXxXxXxXxX

After they had watched the movie Tōshirō suggested they take a walk, the air cooling now that it had hit 5 o'clock. Eventually Tōshirō led Karin to the railing he used to sit at when he first met Karin. She was grinning a the face that he had taken them here. They sat down for a while, peacefully, occasionally talking. They spent half an hour before deciding to leave the area. The second Karin stood up she winced. "What's wrong?" Karin shrugged.  
>"I guess I'm just not used to wearing heels."<br>"So in other words, your feet hurt?"  
>"Well...yeah." Tōshirō rolled his eyes.<br>"I'm surprised you even own heels."  
>"Ugh, Yuzu was basically forcing me to get a pair of heels, so I figured I'd get the ones that seemed the most like me and the ones I'd be more likely to wear."<br>"Ok, but you never wear heels." Karin shrugged and looked away from Tōshirō. "Wait...you weren't trying to impress me were you?"  
>"No. Now shut up." Tōshirō grinned.<br>"You were!"  
>"Ugh Tōsh, shut up already." Tōshirō tried his hardest not to laugh.<br>"If it's any consolation...it worked..." Karin grinned, slightly embarrassed. "Then again, you always impress me, doesn't matter what you wear." Karin started to blush again, making Tōshirō smirk. He really did love that expression on her.  
>"Tōsh, seriously, just shut up already. Please!" Tōshirō laughed briefly.<br>"You get embarrassed so easily." Karin playfully stuck her tongue out.  
>"Whatever. We should probably go home, Ichi-nii is gonna get mad if we're not careful." Tōshirō nodded.<br>"True."

Karin tried to walk again which still caused her pain. Tōshirō sighed and walked forward to Karin and literally swept her off her feet, carrying her bridal style. She gasped slightly when he did this, he had taken her by surprise. "Tōsh what are you doing?"  
>"It looks like your feet are killing you. Like I'm gonna let you walk all the way home like that. Just do me a favour and never wear heels again, not if we're going out for a whole day. I hate seeing you in pain."<br>"I'm not weak. I'm not your little princess, I can walk."  
>"What's the point of making your feet worse and putting yourself through more pain? You're not going to lose your pride by me carrying you."<br>"...Fine." Karin rested her head against Tōshirō's chest while he walked towards their apartment. Tōshirō might not exactly be living there right now, but it was still their apartment in his eyes.

XxXxXxXxXxX

When they had reached the apartment Tōshirō gently let Karin down onto the floor and she fished around for her keys in her bad. She opened the door, watching Ichigo practically run towards the door, clearly he had heard Karin put her keys in the lock. She pushed him back and he almost fell the the floor at the force. "What is wrong with you Ichi-nii?"  
>"I wanted to make sure you were ok!"<br>"Did you expect him to bring me back in a body bag!" Ichigo scratched the back of his head nervously.  
>"Well, obviously not, but still..." Karin rolled her eyes and decided to change the subject.<br>"So, did you end up doing anything interesting today?"  
>"Not really, unless you count getting your ass kicked at video games by a certain midget," Karin leaned to the side to look behind Ichigo, seeing Rukia sitting on the sofa, with her one leg over the other and crossed arms, a smug smirk on her face.<br>"I'm proud of you Rukia!" Rukia grinned. Ichigo didn't look as impressed as Rukia.  
>"Anyway, you two shouldn't stay out in the hallway." He reluctantly gestured both of them inside.<p>

Karin had no idea how Rukia did it, but she had managed to completely distract Ichigo so Karin and Tōshirō could go into Karin's bedroom, meaning that they could actually spend time in the apartment without Ichigo breathing down their necks. Tōshirō couldn't stay for much longer and the two of them were pretty tired, so they just sat down and talked. Well Tōshirō was sitting fairly still on the bed, Karin however changed her position every 5 minutes, currently leaning against her windowsill, her hair blowing slightly from the wind coming through the open window. It annoyed Tōshirō how beautiful she looked at simple moments like these. Today was great, but tomorrow he's have to go back to doing his work like every other day, while missing her, knowing that he won't be able to see her for ages. It was strange; before he met Karin he never noticed just how repetitive his routine was, and it never bothered him before, but now the thought of going back to it made him irritated. It wasn't like he was ever going to give up being a captain or anything, he enjoyed the job, but sometimes the workload really did get a bit much, and sometimes he did just need to break the routine. He knew he wouldn't be complaining at all if Karin were in Soul Society with him. Tōshirō hoped that the group who were put in charge of defeating Aizen were making good progress. He didn't want to be separated from Karin for too long.

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><p><strong>Ok, due to heatstroke I'm not sure how good my proof reading was, so if there were any mistakes please point them out XD Ok, so what did you think? For some reason it felt too easy to let Aizen be defeated in this chapter, so it's been prolongued, I'm evil like that. But the majority of this was MAJOR HitsuKarin, so I'm sure it wasn't that bad =P (Although I felt like it was bad XD) I'm not sure how well I wrote Karin and Tōshirō in this chapter, I'm not 100% sure I wrote them in character properly...But still, I hope you enjoyed it! ^^ I have a feeling that the next chapter is going to be pretty hard to write as well XD Wish me luck XD<strong>

**P.S - [Sorry this is an edit, but I only just remembered ^^;] If you want a better idea of what Karin was wearing, I meant this style top (but black): **./-bFqEAcsEHRw/TaX379719lI/AAAAAAAADW0/3yu0H3gvtAk/s1600/tumblr_ljkp7bcdD61qzztlfo1_** and the shoes: **./_qI03239StM/SdZ5EMD8XKI/AAAAAAAAA4k/DCxf9A3pv08/s400/04+04+**  
><strong>


	9. Forgotten

**Hey guys ^^ To be honest, there isn't much I can say here without giving huge amounts of the plot away. Although I will say I'm sorry for the fairly quick pace in this chapter, but if it went slower it would be boring. I hope I struck the balance between the two. Thanks for all of the alerta, favourites and reviews, I really do appreciate every last one. I hope you enjoy this chapter ^^  
><strong>

**Review replies:**

**Bara-san:** Love that description of Aizen XD Oh noes, I hope your mind is ok now! X3 I'm glad you liked the scene, it took me ages to write because I wanted it to be great XD Hope you enjoy this chapter! ^^**  
>Every shadow has its twin: <strong>I'm glad you think so! ^^ I hope you like this chapter too ^^**  
>windkikyo: <strong>*smiles* I shall try! I hope you like this chapter ^^**  
>Bleached-Whale: <strong>It may be due to the fact that I'm ill, but I actually teared up a bit when I read your review ='D To be honest that was the main reaosn I started writing. I had read tons of HitsuKarin fics and I was starting to get bored because they were starting to get repetitive so I was like 'fuck this imma write my own!' XD So I'm amazingly glad you feel that way XD Yeah, I thought it was more appropriate to make Tōshirō the more confident one. To me it makes more sense. I swear, my impression of Soul Society is you get bored, you either spar, train, drink, join a club or have sex. XD Being in that sort of environment means that he's gotta be used to it, or at least more used to such issued than Karin. I know she's the feisty one, and she usually has more confidence, but I think this is one area where she would be lacking, while Tōshirō has had years to think about things like that, so is less likely to be embarrassed. That's what I think anyway XD Thank you! XD That's one of the things I worry about when I write this fic XD But they would not be them if they just started to make out or something. XD Oh yes Aizen's a bitch. XD I know, I don't get it. If there's someone immortal on the tv I'm just sat there wondering why they don't just bury the character or something, and I've thought like that for years, which is where his punishment originates from XD People seem so afraid of anyone who's immortal, but all you have to do is use your brains. XD Oh gosh, it was the last part that had my tearing up. That actually means a lot to me, especially as I have a small interest in writing for a living when I get older (which is growing all the time). So thank you, a lot. You have no idea how happy your review made me.**  
>Cittyno2: <strong>It appears that way doesn't it...I'm glad you liked the chapter! And yes, Rukia's very clever, and sneaky. Can't forget the sneaky. You know she's a ninja matchmaker XD I agree, Aizen is getting on my nerves. XD**  
>Waxfox: <strong>I'm glad you're enjoying the story! I hope you like this chaper too ^^**  
>Fallen-Yuki: <strong>I'm glad you liked Matsumoto! ^^ There's more of her in this chapter, so I hope I wrote her well. ^^ Aizen is one hell of a sneaky man, it's incredibly annoying. He's definitely up to something...**  
>1BleachFan: <strong>Don't worry about it! Enjoying my story is what counts =P I love how nobody is pleased with the lack of Aizen's body pieces XD I like the way you think! XD I would be hugely embarrassed as well XD I'm glad you like it! You seem to know the way I think too well...I had started to add a twist even before you reviewed! I hope you like this chapter.

**P.S - I've changed the summary and the genre. They didn't seem appropriate any more. This story has changed a lot from the original plan XD**

**P.P.S - After watching the music video for Super Junior's new single (Mr Simple) I've come up with a new HitsuKarin plot bunny, so look forward to that! =D I don't know if I'll write it after I finish this or not, and I imagine it'll only be a one-shot but I hope you'll like it when I get round to writing it! ^^  
><strong>

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 9: Forgotten<span>

Tōshirō sighed as he put his phone back on the base. He had tried to call Karin but apparently their outing had tired her out a lot. She wasn't answering her phone, so Tōshirō assumed she was asleep. To be honest, he was exhausted as well. It was only half nine and he wanted nothing more than to go to bed, but of course, he still had to finish a pile of paperwork after his ever hard-working vice captain had decided to neglect. While he was signing the last couple of sheets he started to wonder where Rangiku was. He hadn't seen her all day. Usually it wouldn't bother him, but he knew Rangiku well and it surprised him that she hadn't come round to tease him and whatnot after he visited Karin. He vaguely tidied the office and was about to leave the room when he heard a certain voice. "Captain! Are you back yet?" Tōshirō mentally groaned. _'Oh god, speak of the devil.'_ He heard Rangiku come into the office before he saw her. "Ooh Captain, you are here! How was visiting Karin?" She winked instantly after she asked the question.  
>"Fine." Rangiku whined slightly.<br>"Awww Captain, I need more details than that! What happened?" Tōshirō sighed heavily.  
>"It's none of your business Matsumoto."<br>"Well did anything interesting happen?"  
>"Does that hold any importance to you?" Rangiku grinned widely.<br>"So something did happen!" Tōshirō raised his eyebrow.  
>"What are you talking about Matsumoto? I didn't answer yes or no."<br>"Ah, but Captain I know you well! If it was a no you would say no straight away! But instead you avoided the question, meaning you didn't deny it, meaning it's a yes!" Tōshirō knew she was right, but he refused to admit it.  
>"That's seems like a long-shot, don't you think Matsumoto?" Rangiku grinned wider.<br>"Nope! Like I said Captain, I know you well! It's been years afterall!" Tōshirō sighed.  
>"If you say so Matsumoto, anyway if you'll excuse me, I should be going home. Goodnight."<br>"Awww Captain, you're tired? What did you two end up doing, hmm?" After she saw the look Tōshirō gave her she spoke quickly. "I guess it doesn't matter! Goodnight!" Tōshirō gave her a quick wave and left the office. Rangiku sighed happily. "Ah, my little Captain is growing up!"

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin woke up the next morning at around 8, by her phone ringing. "Ugh...hello?"  
>"Karin-chan! Good morning!" Karin sat up, trying to figure out the voice.<br>"Huh? Wait, Rangiku?"  
>"Yep!"<br>"Why are you calling me?"  
>"Were you expecting someone else to call you?" Karin could feel the suggestiveness in Rangiku's voice.<br>"Does that hold any importance to you?" Rangiku had to stop herself from laughing, she took several deep breaths before being able to speak without breaking in giggles. She loved the fact that they had used the same answer.  
>"I was just wondering how your date with Tōshirō went!" Karin almost answered straight away until she realised that Rangiku had used the word date.<br>"We didn't go on a date." Rangiku spoke in a sarcastic tone.  
>"Suuure you didn't. So, what happened?"<br>"Can't you just ask Tōshirō instead of phoning me?"  
>"Oh Karin-chan, you know him as well as I do! He won't answer my questions!"<br>"So what makes you think I will?"  
>"Please Karin-chan! Just give me a quick overview of what happened!" Karin sighed, and answered, just wanting to go back to sleep, knowing she wouldn't hang up the phone until Karin gave her some sort of answer.<br>"We just went out for a couple of hours. Went to an arcade and watched a movie. That is it." Karin had to hold the phone away from her ear when Rangiku squealed.  
>"Rangiku. RANGIKU. Why are you squealing?"<br>"Oh...no reason!" And then Rangiku hung up the phone, causing Karin to groan.  
>"I feel like I just made a huge mistake..."<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin felt incredibly bored, there was nothing to do. She didn't have training today, there was no longer any point in her studying her subjects, there was nothing on tv, she didn't feel like playing video games, there was literally nothing she wanted to do. She sighed as she got up from lying down the sofa and was about to walk out the front door until Ichigo stopped her. "Where do you think you're going?"  
>"Ichi-nii relax. I just wanna go for a walk. I did that before we went to Soul Society and I can do it after." Ichigo thought for a moment, knowing that if he didn't let her she'd just sneak out instead.<br>"Ok, just stay near." Karin nodded and walked out of the apartment, closing the door behind her. Karin walked over to the staircase, she was about to start walking downstairs when she heard a dull thud upstairs. Being bored, she decided to walk up the stairs, wondering what the cause of the thud was. The higher she got, the louder the repetitive thud got. She discovered that it wasn't a dull thud as she had first thought, it was incredibly loud, the sound had just been muffled by several building storeys. _'What on earth makes a noise like that?' _When she was two floors down from the roof she noticed that the sound was coming from the roof itself. She walked up cautiously, and slowly opened the door.

Karin's eyes widened in shock. She had just opened the door to two hollows, fighting. After a sharp intake of breath which Karin couldn't control the hollow who appeared to be winning turned suddenly to face the source of the sound. The larger, more victorious of the hollows dropped the weaker one and instantly started to move towards Karin. She screamed out of shock and started to run as fast as she could but before she could get back to the door the weaker hollow extended a vine-like arm, wrapping it round her leg and dragging her back to the scene. The hollow spoke, sending a shiver down Karin's spine. "You really think I'm going to let something as tasty as you get away?" The stronger hollow slammed into the weaker one, causing it to withdraw it's arm, letting go of Karin. The stronger one grabbed her quickly, making her scream again.  
>"She's mine." Karin couldn't believe it. She was being fought over by two hollows like she was a piece of meat. Then again, she supposed she was a piece of meat to them. Where the hell was her brother and Rukia! Karin was starting to lose hope. She had heard Rukia complain about the unreliable hollow alerts before...maybe it was one of those times? The two hollows continued to fight over her, causing Karin pain every time the one of them grabbed her from the other one. The larger hollow was clearly used to winning and was getting very impatient; it charged into the smaller one's midsection making it drop Karin onto the floor, causing her to scream in pain, she could feel her left arm and leg break. The larger one picked Karin up by her broken leg, making her scream again, the pain she felt was horrific. The smaller hollow charged into the larger one just like the larger one had just done. The weaker one had hit it with all it's force, causing both the hollow and Karin fly up into the air.<p>

Rukia looked up from her book as if she was trying to hear something. "Ichigo."  
>"What?"<br>"Something's wrong." Ichigo's eyes narrowed, he was scowling with worry.  
>"What is?"<br>"I'm not sure. But something doesn't feel right." She dug her phone out of her pocket, to check the surroundings. "It's not picking up anything."  
>"So not hollows then?"<br>"No, I mean it's not picking up ANYTHING. Not even us!" Ichigo ran over to Rukia and looked at her phone.  
>"What the hell?" Rukia shrugged.<br>"Something must be interfering with it."  
>"Where's Karin?" Rukia paused for a moment to figure out where her reiatsu was.<br>"She's on the roof." Ichigo wrenched the front door open and ran towards the staircase, Rukia following him. "Ichigo why are we running?"  
>"Karin does what she says she does. She said she was going for a walk, and she ends up on the roof? Something must've made her change her mind, and suddenly your phone isn't working?"<br>"That could be pure coincidence!"  
>"I'd rather check." The two continued to run towards the roof, as quickly as they could. When they had no more than 3 levels of the building to go up Rukia gasped. "What! What happened!"<br>"Her reiatsu just spiked, and I mean spiked!"

Rukia and Ichigo burst onto the roof just in time to see the larger hollow and Karin get flung off the building. Ichigo swore loudly and used his shinigami substitute badge to change into a shinigami and tried to follow Karin, but the second hollow got in his way. He quickly sliced through the hollow's head, running on pure adrenaline and fear for Karin. But of course, all of that had taken time. By the time he had reached the edge of the building it was too late. He knew it was. Ichigo's body shook as he heard Karin impact with the ground and Rukia winced at the sudden lack of Karin's reiatsu. Ichigo jumped over the edge of the building, using his reiatsu to cushion the fall. When Ichigo landed on the ground softly his body started to shake again, caused by his silent tears. The image of Karin's broken body would never, ever leave him.

Ichigo turned round when he heard a loud scream from a woman behind him. Citizens from the town had started to notice Karin's body. In fact, it was incredibly hard not to notice. Ichigo moved away from the spot, still silently crying, not being able to take the image of Karin's dead body any more. Rukia had caught up with him and dragged him further away, holding onto his arm in an attempt to comfort him. "Rukia...I can't believe it...I didn't want her to die like that...SHE didn't want to die like that...did you...did you see her?" Rukia nodded grimly.  
>"...Yeah."<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin woke up, groaning loudly and she sat up. Her head and chest were throbbing like mad. She rubbed her eyes and allowed them to focus; the first thing she saw was a huge group of people crowding over something. She tried to get closer, but there were too many people blocking her way. She attempted to elbow her way through until she saw that her elbow went straight through people. _'What the?'_ She looked down at herself seeing a huge, but short-lengthed chain in the middle of her chest. _'HOLY CRAP.'_ She quickly ran through the crowd, hating the feeling of going through people until she got to the middle. She resisted the urge to throw up. What she saw was her own body, smashed and broken on the pavement, blood splattered everywhere. After spending about two seconds looking at her own body she ran back through the crowd, taking deep breaths. She wasn't supposed to die now! Not like that! Karin tried to fight back her tears. She held her hands tightly against her wet eyes, willing herself not to cry. When her eyes felt drier she opened them and looked around. She heard Rukia's voice shouting her name from behind her.

Karin turned round to see Rukia and Ichigo, looking sad yet relieved. Both of them were happy that they had found her so quickly. They two of them ran quickly towards her, Ichigo tightly hugging her the second he got near her. "Ichi-nii...you knew I'd come back..."  
>"I know...but the shock of it...I thought I lost you." Karin hugged him tightly back, the siblings just staying still embracing each other for a while. Karin was the one who broke the silence.<br>"So...what are we supposed to do now?"  
>"What do you mean?" Rukia answered Ichigo's question.<br>"Well, she's pretty screwed now."  
>"Huh? Why! What's wrong!"<br>"Ichi-nii, think about it. If I go to Soul Society Aizen is much more likely to get to me, but if I stay here my chain's gonna erode. And it's pretty short already."  
>"Oh fuck. What are we supposed to do!" He turned to Rukia and the last sentence.<br>"Don't look at me! It's not my decision. It's yours Karin." Karin stared at her in a mix of worry and confusion.  
>"What?"<br>"You either have to risk being in Soul Society again, or you risk becoming a hollow." Karin looked down at the chain attached to her chest.  
>"How long do you reckon I have?" Rukia studied the length of the chain.<p>

"I'm no expert, but I think you'll be completely safe for a month. After that I don't know. You could last 6 months, you could last 6 days. It entirely depends on how fast your chain erodes. It's different for every person. To be honest, I don't think it's a bad idea to contact Soul Society first. They probably have a better idea than I do." Karin nodded. Ichigo shook his head and butted into their conversation.  
>"Wait wait wait. If she has a completely safe month, she can think about it right? Take a couple days before she even has to think about it? She just freaking died, is it good to put pressure on her?" Rukia sighed sadly before speaking.<br>"Normally I'd agree with you, but this is your sister we're talking about it. She's got huge reiatsu, and now that she doesn't have a human body, it's going to be easier for hollows to find her."  
>"For fuck's sake. Going by that logic then she should go to Soul Society." Karin nodded.<br>"To be honest, I am kinda leaning towards Soul Society right now." Rukia nodded.  
>"Well I reckon this should all wait for a little while. The authorities have just shown up." Rukia pointed towards the crowd surrounding Karin's body, which was now being joined by police and ambulance vehicles. "We're going to need a story, and to be there at the apartment when they show up." Karin and Ichigo agreed, and they quickly made their way to the building.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

It had been 7 hours since Karin's death, and the police had finally made an appearance and told Ichigo that an investigation was taking place. Ichigo and Rukia had acted well, including phoning the police every half an hour saying that she was 'missing'. Karin was lying in her room. In the end nothing had really changed for Karin. She was surprised at how little things had changed. When she got back to the apartment and calmed down a bit, she realised that she got just as bored even after death. The difference was this time round she kept trying to keep herself busy, almost afraid of thinking about the huge decision that was now hanging over her head. Karin practically had a heart attack when she heard her mobile ring. Judging by the time of day, it was Tōshirō who was phoning her. When she answered her phone she found out that her guess was right. But something wasn't right. Tōshirō's voice sounded different, heavier somehow. He hadn't said hello either, he only said her name, her full name. "Tōsh?"  
>"Why didn't you call me earlier?"<br>"What?"  
>"Why didn't you call me earlier! The way I found out about your death was by the fucking 12th division!" Karin felt nervous.<br>"Sorry. Tōsh, really I'm sorry. It's just everything has been hectic, there's police everywhere and..."  
>"And?"<br>"...Tōsh, I'm scared. I mean really scared. What the hell am I supposed to do? I thought it would be easy. I'd just wait here for you guys to sort out Aizen, I'd come back except you know dead, but like peacefully or something I'd become a shinigami, and everything would be fine. But now I can only stay here for a month at the most, assuming hollows don't kill me first, but Aizen's is still gonna be there and he's gonna be after me and I...I just..I just...don't know what to do any more..." Karin tried to fight back her tears for the second time that day, but the pure frustration and helplessness of the situation meant that her tears managed to escape. Tōshirō forgot all his anger when he heard the despair in her voice, and by the time she had started crying all he wanted was to be with her.

"Rin..."  
>"What would you do?"<br>"If I was in your position?" Karin sniffed slightly before answering.  
>"Uh-huh." Tōshirō sighed heavily.<br>"It's your decision Karin, but if it were me, I'd go to Soul Society. In the end, hollows are rare, and there are shinigami everywhere. I know there's Aizen, but the defences are getting better and better. I know there's still that risk of Aizen, but we know what's going on now. We can keep an eye on you."  
>"That seems like a lot of work."<br>"I don't care Rin. I'm going to make sure you're safe, whichever one you pick for now." Karin took a few moments to dry her eyes before speaking.  
>"Tōsh?"<br>"Yeah?"  
>"Would you visit me if I went to Soul Society?" Tōshirō sighed again.<br>"That's a stupid question. Of course I would. However, the point is your safety."  
>"I know, I know. I was leaning towards Soul Society anyway, but that helped push me towards it."<br>"...As long as it wasn't the sole reason." Karin smiled for the first time in hours.  
>"Don't worry, it wasn't." The couple then continued to have an hour long conversation, only stopping because Karin's phone battery was dying. Karin went to sleep feeling a lot lighter than she did earlier in the day.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

When Karin woke up the following morning she had to look down at herself to confirm that the previous events didn't just take place in her head. She sighed heavily and sat up, not particularly happy. Oh sure, she had pretty much made up her mind and Tōshirō was planning to make it easier for her, but that didn't fix everything. To be honest, Karin was sick of being messed around for so long. She had to move to Soul Society for her safety, then back to the Living World for her safety and now back again to Soul Society because it seemed to be the lesser of the two evils. She was still afraid of Aizen, and that wasn't going to change just because they had improved the defences around him. She was starting to think that ever since her mother died her life had never been stable, and never will be. No matter how strong and how old Karin got, there were always the odd moment or two where she really missed her mother, this being one of those times.

By the time Karin had gotten herself out of bed it had gone past 10 o'clock meaning that Rukia had already left to go training, leaving Ichigo and Karin alone. Ichigo smiled somewhat reassuringly when he saw Karin. "Hey." Karin nodded as a sign of recognition. "What's up Karin? Besides the obvious..." Karin stayed silent for a couple seconds before answering.  
>"Can we visit mum's grave?"<br>"You wanna visit mum?" Karin nodded before walking into the kitchen to grab something to eat. Ichigo raised his voice so she could hear his reply.  
>"We can go later, after lunch ok?"<br>"Yep." Her short replies worried him slightly, but he dropped it, reasoning that she had JUST died the day before.

XxXxXxXxXxX

When Ichigo and Karin arrived at the graveyard they pair of them just stood in front of their mother's grave not saying a word to each other. Neither of them had visited her for ages due to the recent chaos. After a couple of minutes Ichigo excused himself, allowing Karin to be alone at their mother's grave for a short while. She took a deep breath and kneeled down at the front of her mother's gave before starting to pray. _'Hey mum...long time no see huh? A lot of stuff has happened since the last time I was here...I mean I think Ichigo has started to actually grow up, and you know when that happens the apocalypse is nigh. Yuzu and dad are doing great, like they always do. Ichigo's...well Ichigo. He's making progress. But mum, for me everything is all over the place. I know it's not like I'm special or anything. It's not like I got chosen or anything, I __just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Actually, I'm starting to think that I'm always at the wrong place at the wrong time. But really, why is it me? Why couldn't life be easier? Everything is so complicated. I gotta leave, again. I feel like everything would be easier if you were here. You were so good at solving problems. Although, a certain man seems to be pretty good at solving problems too...I wish you could meet Tōshirō. I bet you'd like him, even Ichigo seems to have made him peace with him, and Ichigo's awful when it comes to things like that.'_ Karin paused momentarily to stare up at the sky noticed a few drops here and there were falling. It was starting rain. _'Mum, what would you be doing if you were here now? I keep wondering. I miss you. Even if it wouldn't be easier, I feel like it would be if you were here. Every kid needs there mum from time to time right? Everything's so daunting. Is life always this scary when you grow up? Everyone has their own obstacles. Mine feel hu-_' Karin was interrupted by an unknown shinigami.

"Oi girl. Come over here, you need a soul burial." Karin rolled her eyes and glared at the newly arrived shinigami. She simply was not in the mood for this.  
>"I have a fucking name."<br>"I don't really care, I just have a job to do, so get over here already." Karin stood up and stared the shinigami down, genuinely intimidating him slightly.  
>"Do I look like I give a fuck about your job? What are you gonna do?" Karin seriously pissed him off. She was honestly surprised at herself, the frustration from the past 24 hours was coming out now, which was probably the wrong time, but she didn't care.<br>"You insolent little bitch." The shinigami made a move to Karin, who merely smirked. To someone who had been training with Yoruichi Shihōin, this guy was outstandingly slow. She easily dodged and watched as the shinigami fell to the ground. The shinigami swept his body across the ground while getting up, surprising Karin and causing her to fall. "Jeez what IS it with souls these days? I swear all of the ones I find in this damned town think they can tell me what to do." Karin rose from the ground and punched the man in the face.  
>"Funny. I was about to say the exact same thing about shinigami. You really think you can order me around?"<br>"Bitch, it's my job."  
>"Wrong. The first priority of your damned job is to exterminate hollows. The second is to perform soul burials without using force or being a total asshole about it. Stop thinking you're high and mighty just because you have 'powers'."<br>"Excuse me? Who are you to lecture me on the priorities of my job!" Karin shrugged and continued to glare at the shinigami. The fact that she wasn't giving up unnerved the man slightly. "Whatever. You're getting a soul burial."  
>"No I'm not. I have my own plans."<br>"Like hell." The shinigami made a move to grab Karin's wrist which again she easily dodged. The shinigami narrowed his eyes after his attack failed. He lunged for her again.

Ichigo looked at his watch, noticing that he had left Karin alone for a good 15 minutes now. He made his way back to the main graveyard. When he started to walk on the path he came across the sight of a shinigami fighting with something. Ichigo squinted, trying to see who the two people were. They were all the way across the graveyard, and the graveyard was huge. He started to walk closer until he realised that a shinigami was fighting with his little sister for god knows what reason. He started to run quickly towards them, shouting at the shinigami. "What the fuck are you playing at!" Karin looked towards the source of the voice and the shinigami used Ichigo's distraction as an opportunity. He twisted both of Karin's arms so they were behind her and swept her legs from underneath her causing her to kneel. She looked up at the still unknown shinigami. If looks could kill the shinigami would've died a thousand times by now. The shinigami spoke with a sense of pride.

"Oh you're that substitute Kurosaki shinigami right? You don't need to worry, this soul was being troublesome, but I've got her now." Ichigo glared at the man just as badly as Karin did. (Clearly, it ran in the family.) Ichigo wanted to tear the man limb from limb. He was holding Karin as if she was some sort of criminal and was proud of it? As it that wasn't bad enough he was trying to kiss up to Ichigo because of the power and the 'connections' he 'must have' because he was on speaking terms with captains and vice-captains? Which of course was backfiring horrendously. "I swear, if you don't let her go in the next two seconds you're going to find yourself without arms." The shinigami chuckled darkly.  
>"Oh I see. You're one of those types. You like to have ALL the glory. Kill all the hollows you can, send as many souls as you can."<br>"What! No! You happen to be restraining my little sister, so like I said, let go of her before I start decapitating limbs." The shinigami rolled his eyes.  
>"Yeah right. From what I heard one of your little sisters is girly and weak and the other one got herself in trouble with Aizen like a stupid little..." The shinigami decided to stop talking, apparently he had finally realised who he was talking to. Karin growled while Ichigo threatened the shinigami.<br>"Finish that sentence. I dare you." The shinigami glared at Ichigo for a moment before losing his nerve.

"Fuck this. I don't need to put up with this." He unsheathed his Zanpaktō and Ichigo instantly reached for his shinigami badge. Unfortunately the unknown shinigami had his Zanpaktō fully unsheathed and ready to use by the time Ichigo had separated from his body. The shinigami quickly turned his Zanpaktō around and hit Karin's forehead with the hilt rather roughly. Ichigo's eyes widened as he saw a blue light encircle Karin. Karin looked around and realised what was happening. She turned her head to face the shinigami. "Oh fuck you...Bye Ichi-nii..." Ichigo watched wordlessly as Karin sunk into the ground. Ichigo let out a frustrated scream and charged at the shinigami. "Why can't anyone leave her alone! Why do people insist on fucking with her life!" He punctuated every word with a kick or punch, intent on causing the man pain.

XxXxXxXxXxX

After several conversations with Soul Society Rukia collapsed onto the sofa. "So?" Rukia sighed heavily before replying to Ichigo.  
>"Soul Society agreed that we need to find her quick, but there are 80 huge districts. We could be searching for years and never find her. There's also a chance she forgot her memories, which would make it harder. Aizen could find her and make her cause havoc without us even knowing." Ichigo ran his hands through his head.<br>"So what are we supposed to do!"  
>"Well I don't see any point in being here any more. I say we start looking for her."<br>"Except that the police are still investigating Karin's death and asked us to stick around."  
>"Oh damn. I had forgotten about that."<br>"If we just disappear they'll probably assume someone was trying to murder the whole family. So in other words, we just have to sit here and do fuck all." Rukia sighed and nodded, she knew Ichigo was trying to stop himself from panicking or taking his anger out on her. After the past couple days Ichigo was so close to breaking.  
>"At least there'll still be people looking for her, even if it isn't us." Ichigo sighed.<br>"I suppose. To be honest, I think she can look after herself, I'm more worried about her memories."  
>"You're not worried about her well-being? You do realise that Captain Zaraki came from the 80th district? There are more people like him there."<br>"Of course I'm worried you idiot. I'm aware about the people you can find there. But I really have to stay optimistic, you know, before I start killing people." Rukia nodded.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Rangiku came rushing into Tōshirō's office in the tenth squad, he looked up surprised. "I don't think I have ever seen you enter my office quite so enthusiastically Matsumoto." Rangiku was out of breath, it appeared that she had actually ran all the way to the office.  
>"Captain. There's a problem." Tōshirō raised his eyebrow.<br>"It's Karin." Tōshirō's eyes narrowed in concern and worry, urging Rangiku to go on. "Apparently some stupid shinigami forced her to have a soul burial. Nobody knows where she is."  
>"What!" Tōshirō got up from his desk, and walked over to the door.<br>"Captain? Where are you going?"  
>"Where do you think? I'm looking for her. Contact me if anything goes wrong here." Rangiku shook her head.<br>"No way Captain. I'm supposed to have your back. I'm coming with you."  
>"Matsumo-"<br>"Oh come on Captain! Our squad is one of the most organised squads, it can last without us for a couple days!" Tōshirō thought for a moment.  
>"...Ugh...fine. But if the squad falls into complete disorder I'm blaming you." Rangiku grinned briefly and the two set off towards Rukongai.<p>

Tōshirō and Rangiku decided it would be better to start looking from the 80th district up. She was more likely to survive and be fine in the 1st than the 80th, even if they were hoping for her to be in one of the nicer districts it was better to search the more dangerous ones first. By the time they had searched the majority of the 80th district it had gone well past midnight, meaning most people had found cover of some sort. Rangiku and Tōshirō decided to find cover as well, there was no point in searching for a person if all of the people were asleep or in hiding. And besides, there were a lot more men than there were women in the last district, due to the likelihood of being raped, mugged or messed with in some way or another. The chances of such a thing happen were pretty damn high for females. People in this district couldn't care less about who their victim was. The weaker the better; they were more likely to succeed. Due to that most women here were either hardened criminals or children who hadn't given up yet. Tōshirō knew Karin wasn't stupid. She would've figured out that this is not a good place to be in.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Two weeks had passed and Tōshirō and Rangiku had only managed to go through 5 districts. True, the two hadn't spent the entire fortnight searching, as they had to return 3 times to make sure the squad was still standing. The Captain Commander had also sent for Tōshirō at one point for a meeting. It had scared Tōshirō at first, but it only was a simple warning. Yamamoto didn't like the fact that Tōshirō had gone off and taken upon himself to look for Karin, but he admitted that he was going to send him anyway, believing him to be the most appropriate for the task. Out of any shinigami he could've sent, Tōshirō would be the best at finding her, except for maybe her family who had other commitments at the moment.

Honestly, Tōshirō was already losing hope. Obviously she was bount to be somewhere, and there was no way in hell that he was going to give up, but he desperately wanted to find her soon. Anything could be happening to her and he wouldn't know. He was now walking through the 74th district, not having any luck. Now that Rangiku and Tōshirō had been moving out of the severely dangerous districts they decided to split up, so they were more likely to find her sooner rather than later. So here he was in the 74th district while Rangiku was in the 73rd both searching diligently for Karin, using both their eyes and their senses.

The sun was starting to set, and the majority of the children had now gone inside, in both districts. Tōshirō wasn't having any luck, and he was fairly sure he had looked everywhere. He should've been able to sense her too, so he shunpoed to the next district with the aim of finding Rangiku. After a good 40 to 50 minutes he finally found her. "Matsumoto. How is it going?" Rangiku turned round to face Tōshirō who was out of breath, having only just arrived. She looked unbelievably happy.  
>"Captain I think we're getting close! I could've sworn I felt her earlier! It was kinda distant, but it was definitely her reiatsu!"<br>"Are you serious!" Rangiku nodded while grinning.  
>"Uh-huh! She's gotta be near! I'm guessing she's in the next district!" Tōshirō nodded slowly.<br>"So Matsumoto...What are we doing standing around here for?" Rangiku grinned wider and shunpoed off to the next district. Tōshirō smiled slightly, happy that he could be seeing Karin again the next day. He took a deep breath and shunpoed to the next district, easily catching up with Rangiku.

When they had finally reached the 72nd district it had been dark for some time, meaning that most of the inhabitants were asleep. Tōshirō could sense Karin, he knew she was in this district, and he could tell what general area she was in, but he couldn't pinpoint it. There was something slightly different to her reiatsu. Tōshirō supposed it was because he had never felt her reiatsu when she wasn't in her human body. Knowing where she was and knowing she was safe put Tōshirō's mind at ease. However, due to the late hour and how exhausted both he and Rangiku was they decided to find cover for the night. Chances were she wasn't going to go any where, and if she was they could pick up on it immediately. Tōshirō took a deep breath and tried to relax. He had no idea why he was so nervous about seeing her again tomorrow, but something was making him feel edgy.

While Tōshirō was drifting off to sleep his phone rung, sounding very loud in the silent surroundings. He answered it groggily. "Captain Hitsugaya. It's Captain Suì-Fēng."  
>"Captain Suì-Fēng? What's the matter?"<br>"I just wanted to alert you. The defences around Aizen have started to crack. We can reinforce them again but I do not know how effective that will be. Do you know if you're anywhere near Karin Kurosaki yet?"  
>"Thank you for informing me. Yes, I do believe we're close. We hope to find her tomorrow."<br>"Excellent. I would like to request for you to bring her to the 4th squad when you do find her. It'll be easier to figure things out from there."  
>"Understood."<br>"Good luck tomorrow Captain."  
>"Thank you. Good luck with the defences." After Tōshirō said this Suì-Fēng had hung up the phone, not one for talking huge amounts, and having a task to complete. Tōshirō sighed heavily, relieved that he was so close to her. Aizen was breaking through again, and Tōshirō knew he try and get to Karin again.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō never really managed to sleep properly that night, he kept dozing off and waking up half an hour later. When it had started to get light he gave up even trying. After a while Tōshirō came out of their cover and walked towards a clearing in the district. He assumed the children in the area used it as some sort of park. He leant against a tree, silently keeping track of Karin's reiatsu. Judging by the stability of it, she was still asleep. He didnt't want to wake her up, startling her would be the best start. Slowly more and more people started walking around the area, a small group of young children were playing around not too far from Tōshirō. It reminded him of Yoona, which made him start to wonder where she could be. He was lost in his thoughts and almost missed Karin's reiatsu changing. She was up and moving, Tōshirō just had to find exactly where she was. He started to walk across the clearing and through a couple of streets, getting closer and closer to her.

It was roughly 20 minutes before Tōshirō finally saw her. She was a good distance away from him, but he knew it was her. Her hair had been left untied and she was wearing a simple midnight blue kimono. Tōshirō couldn't help but grin when he saw her. He started to run towards her. "Rin!" Karin turned round to face Tōshirō, after studying him for a moment she glared at him. "What's wrong?" Karin's eyes narrowed and took a step back from Tōshirō.  
>"Who the hell gave YOU permission to call me Rin!"<br>"Huh?"  
>"You heard me shinigami." Tōshirō's eyes widened. He couldn't believe it. He felt like he had been winded. Tōshirō had been too busy focusing on finding Karin and making sure that she was safe to even think about her memories. The memories she clearly didn't have. Tōshirō honestly felt like crying.<br>"You don't remember me?" Karin shrugged.  
>"Should I?" Tōshirō could feel his eyes getting wet, but he refused to cry<br>"You promised me you would never forget." Karin raised an eyebrow, it was clear that this guy was getting upset over this and she knew that she had shown up not too long ago. But how on earth could this guy be connected to her previous life if he was a shinigami? A captain, no less. He obviously died years before she had, so how could he have possibly known her? It didn't make sense, but apparently he did know her.  
>"I'm sorry I guess..." Tōshirō pinched the bridge of his nose hard, trying to force himself to control his emotions better for Karin's sake.<br>"Regardless of whether you remember me or not, you're still in danger." Karin replied in a couldn't-care-less tone, all of the sympathy she felt for him disappeared.

"Oh, am I now?"  
>"You don't even remember that? I need to keep you safe." Karin rolled her eyes.<br>"What on earth is gonna pose a threat to me?"  
>"Aizen!"<br>"Who?" Tōshirō sighed in frustration.  
>"You know what, it doesn't matter. It doesn't matter if you don't know who Aizen is, it...it doesn't matter if you don't know who I am, as long as you're safe. You have to come with me." Those words had really hurt to say, but it was the truth. He cared too much about Karin to let her get in danger just because he wanted her to remember him.<br>"Yeah...that's not gonna happen."  
>"What?"<br>"Don't what me! You suddenly pop up telling me how you know me despite the fact that I've never seen you in my life telling me you must take me to 'safety' from a dangerous guy I've never even heard of. How dodgy does that sound to you? I'm not fucking dense. Do me a favour and stay away from me." Karin started to walk away when Tōshirō grabbed her wrist.  
>"Karin, please. I'm not doing this for me!" Karin gave him a dirty look and ripped her wrist out of his grip.<br>"I thought I told you to stay away from me." She glared at Tōshirō a final time and walked away from him. Tōshirō's eyes burned. He willed himself not to cry, took a deep breath and ran after her, the whole time thinking_ 'She's going to hate me...She's going to hate me...'_.

* * *

><p><strong>*Calmly waits for the mass of readers who are now probably out for my blood to show up at my house* Seriously, just when you think I couldn't get bitchier, BAM! I write this chapter. Again, I'd like to apologize for the fast pace of this chapter, but I don't think I could really write it slower, because the chapter would have gotten boring. I think I need to practice writing with some of the characters too. Ichigo was way too calm, but I had no idea how I should write him differently. (Did that even make sense? ^^;) Not to mention that Yamamoto is WAY too reasonable in my fics. What do you guys think? Please don't kill me XD I can tell you that things will start to look up eventually. I have actually managed to depress myself while writing this. That's a first. Although the last couple times I wrote HitsuKarin was 3 years ago and they WERE all fluff. (I still can't believe I wrote those when I was 12 XD) I didn't want to write an all fluff story this time round, I wanted to try something a little more serious and now it's gotten kinda serious. I hope you liked it. Review? ^^<br>**


	10. Pull the Trigger

**Hey guys! Sorry about how long it took me to update this, especially after half of you asked me to update soon. ^^; I was busy writing an annoyingly important English essay (the course I do next year depends on it DX) and I was also kinda too scared to write for a couple of nights because of the riots taking place in the UK. I live 15/20 minutes away from the centre of Birmingham, and my grandparents live about 30 minutes away from Croydon, so yeah, I wasn't really in the mood to write for a little while. (Actually I was hudled up in my locked house while on the phone to friends and family while watching the news. What a fun couple of nights that was...)**

**But anyway, as always thank you so much for all of the alerts and favourites and even more thank yous to those of you who reviewed! I's also like to highly recommend a song for you guys to listen to. It's such a beautiful song, and I ended up crying the first time I listened to it, and after I read the translation I cry almost every time I listen to it now. It fits so well with this story, it actually kinda inspired parts of this chapter. It's called Implode by BoA (who's a fucking legend, I'd recommend listening to her even if it had nothing to do with this chapter XD) You can easily find an english subbed version of the song on YouTube and like I said, I really recommend it. I hope you enjoy this chapter! ^^  
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**Review Replies:**

**Cittyno2: **I know, I feel like a horrible person. XD I just continously torture all of the characters. XD I hope you like this chapter though ^^**  
>Bleached-Whale: <strong>Oh lord, every review you send me makes me want to dance I swear XD You're so sweet XD Yeah, I was really worried about the pace, looking back at it I can see what you mean. But hey, things to learn from! ^^ Good point, to be honest I'm not even sure about that, the manga/anime doens't make it very clear either. I mean in the anime (not sure in the manga to be honest) they've used digital cameras, but maybe they can use them because I would've thought they'd be made out of soul particles (like everything else) while in the Living World that's not the case. I wonder if souls can use stuff or not...logically they wouldn't (in which case I'll try not to make that mistake again) but I don't know XD It's never really been clarified...I think. XD That shinigami annoyed the hell out me too, but I had to write him XD There's probably going to be a lot of angsty Ichigo in the next chapter, that could be interesting to write XD I know! They just kinda stand there in the background doing absolutely nothing. Hollows are creatures with no heart...they would not give a fuck, they'd just wanna eat. XD Indeed, there's some sort of strange silver lining here. XD Wow...I don't know whether to feel guilty or impressed with my writing. If it's any consolation, I teared up a bit as I was writing it, and I managed to cry twice while writing this one (although the music I was playing wasn't helping.) I'm glad you enjoyed the chapter! Holy- I'm inspiring people...THAT IS AWESOME. I feel so proud. ='D I shall make sure to read it when you get round to it, and you're dedicating it to me...I may cry again. ='D You're so wonderful, seriously. (And about the procrastination, I'm awful too XD I've had an Ulquihime idea in my head for the past month now and it's still no where being written. XD)**  
>1BleachFan: <strong>I know, I feel evil XD Like I said with Bleached-Whale, I'm not sure whether to feel guilty or proud. XD Yeah, I've decided to bump it up to an M, it's gotten a lot more serious than I had orginally planned to be honest. That shinigami was indeed annoying as hell XD Argh, I can't say anything about Aizen due to spoilers, sorry XD Except you know, he does indeed need to die. XD I'm so glad you enjoy this story so much, it makes me feel super happy XD Indeed, I love it when that happens! (Oh god Moustache man? I laughed.) I hope you like this chapter as much as the others! ^^**  
>Every shadow has its twin: <strong>I know it's an awful thing to happen, I actually cried while writing it XD I hope you enjoy this chapter ^^  
>Bara-san: Indeed...nothing ever goes nice and happy does it? XD Please do, I hated writing that damn character, what an ass. XD I hope you like this chapter ^^<strong><br>windkikyo: **XD I'm glad you like it despite the sadness XD Please, enjoy this one too ^^**  
>Twistedkorn: <strong>I'm glad you do! I hope you like this chapter too. ^^**  
>BaS23: <strong>Don't worry about it! As long as you're reading and enjoying the story =P I'm glad you liked the last chapter, and I hope you like this one! ^^

**Due to the space the replies take up do you think I should stop writing the replies here? I'll still answer your reviews, just privately instead. Let me know what you think, or if you'd rather I answer your review privately regardless just let me know ^^  
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><p><span>Chapter 10: Pull the Trigger<span>

Tōshirō could not believe how much of a pain Karin was. Ichigo was right, she could kick his ass. Which he supposed was a good thing because it means she was less likely to get hurt, but damn what an advantage it gave her. How an earth was he supposed to get her to the fourth squad? He wanted to keep her safe. Tōshirō had no idea how they had managed it, but they had moved away from the 72nd district to the 70th in the space of a morning. Karin was running out of energy though, and Tōshirō knew she had to stop running away soon. She still had it in her head that Tōshirō was going to hurt her, and if he was honest, the more he thought about it, the more he couldn't blame her. His story would sound odd to anyone...

Karin turned round to see if Tōshirō was still chasing her. _'Damn bastard just won't give up! Why! I'm nothing special...'_ She took a turn and slipped into a busy market making Tōshirō want to scream in frustration. Normally it wouldn't take 10 seconds for a captain level shinigami to catch up with a human, but Karin happened to be a rather fast and cunning human, and whenever Tōshirō got close she managed to sneak away and increase the distance between them. It would incredibly hard to distinguish ANYONE in the huge crowd of shoppers, let alone someone as sly as Karin. After spending a good 5 minutes in the market Tōshirō had lost Karin again. He looked round in all directions trying to find her. He could sense her reiatsu, but to single it out from hundreds of peoples took concentration, which was hard in such a noisy place. Nevertheless he tried and to his surprise figured out that she was somewhere above him. Tōshirō looked out of the corner of his eye, in the direction he suspected her to be. Karin was on the roof of a building, about two storeys high, crouching down. Tōshirō's eyes narrowed as he noticed Karin's scared expression and her heavy breathing (although he wasn't sure if that was from all the running or not.) He shunpoed his way to the roof and stood behind her. She didn't notice him. Tentatively, he took a step forward and softly spoke to her."Karin?" Karin still didn't look at him. After Tōshirō got closer to her he noticed that she wasn't taking her eyes off the edge of the building.  
>"Are you...scared?" The accusation made her snap back to her senses. She stood up and turned to him.<br>"I'm not scared!" Tōshirō raised his eyebrow.  
>"Really? Is that why you've spent the past 3 hours running away from me and then freeze at the sight of the edge of a building?"<br>"Anyone would run away from you. And I did not 'freeze' at the sight of the edge of the building." Tōshirō glared at her. Quite frankly he felt sick after all of the running and now all of sudden she happily started talking to him again. All week he had been feeling like he was breaking down and it annoyed the hell out of him. He was going to make sure she was safe, one way or another.

"Bullshit. You did. I don't see why you're denying it, it makes perfect sense afterall. The reason you died is because you got flung off the edge of a bloody building." Karin's eyes widened in shock.  
>"How did you know that?" Tōshirō roughly ran his hands through his hair in irritation.<br>"Oh for the love of! You're not stupid Karin! I know that because of the reasons I've been telling you the ENTIRE time. I knew you before you died! I've known you since you were ten! We played football together! After that we kept bumping into each other for years whenever I went to the Living World, until finally you moved here in Rukongai for your safety until that damned bastard Aizen decided to start fucking with your head. So we left here to live in the Living World together. And then everything went wrong! I had to go back, but you had to stay there. We had to be separated. You fucking PROMISED me that you wouldn't lose your memories. That you wouldn't forget the stuff we did together. That you wouldn't forget me! And of course hollows and an annoying bitch of a shinigami decided to get in the way of that too! Just because you can't remember doesn't mean I can't! I will always remember the times when we played football together, I will always remember the day you moved here, I will always remember the day we moved into an apartment together, I will always remember the night we first kissed and I will always, ALWAYS remember the day you died. So don't you fucking dare run away again. It's bad enough that you don't remember me, that you'll never remember me, but don't you dare put yourself in danger. I want you to come with me for a reason! So you actually have a chance of coming out of this battle with your mind intact! It's bad enough that you don't remember me, but please Karin, don't make me lose you forever."

Tōshirō had no idea when he had started crying, but he had. He swore under his breath and dried his eyes quickly. He was surprised with himself, he hadn't lost control like that for decades, and he didn't think he had ever sworn so much in a short space of time. He looked at Karin and saw her smiling sadly at him, and for the first time since she had died, she didn't look scared of him. "...Wow." Karin was staring at him with the same fascination a young child would have when meeting someone new. After a few seconds her expression changed, and she looked close to tears as well. "You must...really care about me..." Tōshirō nodded, slightly embarrassed. "...I wish...I really, really wish that I could remember all that." Tōshirō finished drying his eyes.  
>"There's no way you will." Karin frowned and her tears threatened to fall.<br>"Really?"  
>"Yeah...Well, there have been accounts of people having flashbacks from their previous life but they're so rare." Karin looked down at the ground in despair and embarrassment. She had just been running away for hours from the guy who was trying to protect her. Actually...it sounded like he loved her, but she couldn't be sure. He was actually telling her the truth. After finding out how much he cared about her made her want to remember everything. She was pulled back from her thoughts by Tōshirō speaking again. "Well, you're actually speaking to me without threatening me, I suppose that's progress..." Karin sighed and rolled her eyes.<br>"Is that your attempt to lighten the mood?"  
>"...Maybe." Karin couldn't stop herself from smiling. Tōshirō had honestly never wanted to kiss her so badly, to hold her, anything.<br>"So...can I get you to come with me?" Karin took a deep breath.  
>"Go where though?"<br>"Seireiti. The fourth division." Karin looked a little uneasy.

"I dunno. I think it's obvious that you're not gonna hurt me or anything, but other shinigami? That's a whole different thing."  
>"Why? Shinigami are just shinigami..."<br>"You guys have a bad reputation around here."  
>"Really...I had no idea." Karin nodded.<br>"We're not all bad." Karin smiled weakly and waited for Tōshirō to continue.  
>"Come with me?" Karin looked away awkwardly.<br>"Please?" Karin hid the smile on her face with her hand which caused Tōshirō to smile too. "I promise that you'll be safe. I'll stay with your 24/7 if you want me too."  
>"You'd really stay with me the entire time? But you're a captain...don't you have tons of work to do? Can you even make that promise?" Tōshirō shrugged.<br>"I'll make it so I can make that promise. I can just get people to deliver my paperwork and stuff directly to me instead of my office." Karin sighed in thought.  
>"Don't you still have to train?"<br>"The fourth squad have a training ground. I'm sure I'll be able to use it. I'll still be near." Karin sighed angrily. "What?"  
>"Nothing, it's just...there must be something wrong with me." Tōshirō raised his eyebrow and waited for her to continue. "I shouldn't be finding it this easy to trust you." Tōshirō looked at her hopefully.<br>"Does that mean?" Karin paused for a moment before nodding.  
>"I'll come with you." Tōshirō smiled, which caused Karin to smile too, but she looked away in embarrassment. "So how do we get there?"<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

After informing Rangiku of the situation, Tōshirō didn't waste any time and the two of them were in the fourth squad as soon as possible. Not knowing where to go exactly Tōshirō decided to visit Unohana's office in the hope that she would be there at this time. Tōshirō knocked on the door and waited for an answer. When there was no answer he knocked again, louder. Once again no answer. Tōshirō sighed and leaned against the office door. "What's up?"  
>"I know we're supposed to be in the fourth squad, which is here, but I don't know where exactly." Karin nodded.<br>"Oh." Tōshirō started to walk down the corridors of the fourth squad, with Karin following him, to try and find a captain or even a vice captain. After god knows how long Ukitake had found the two and called out to them, causing them to turn round. Before approaching Ukitake, Karin whispered in Tōshirō's ear.  
>"Just how many people know who I am?" Tōshirō waved his hand dismissively, planning on answering that later.<br>"Captain Ukitake. Would you happen to know where we're supposed to be?" Ukitake smiled warmly at the two teenagers.  
>"I'll lead you to the place!"<br>"Are you up for that Captain Ukitake?"  
>"Oh don't worry Captain Hitsugaya! Today is one of my rather good days. I've been up and about all day! It makes a nice change." Tōshirō offered the older man a smile and nodded, which Ukitake saw as a sign to continue walking. Eventually the trio had reached a fairly small ward, it looked like it could only contain 2 or 3 people comfortably at a time. After taking a quick look around Tōshirō turned to Ukitake.<p>

"Isn't this your ward? The ward you go to if you happen to be particularly struggling?" Ukitake nodded gently.  
>"Yes, I offered it for Karin's use. To be honest the room's main purpose is to relax the patient, it's got a less of a hospital feel to it. I believe it would be more use to Karin for the next few weeks and months than it would me, although saying that I doubt Karin would mind much if I did have to use the room. After all, we are well acquainted, and I imagine she's used to patients being around, she was a nurse!"<br>"Was I?" Ukitake turned to Karin in slight confusion.  
>"You don't remember?" Karin shook her slightly hanging head. The more time she spent here the worse she felt. She kept meeting people that seemed so nice, and so trustworthy and she had no idea who they were, despite how close they could've been. It was all rather depressing. Ukitake nodded once slowly, smiled again and spoke cheerfully. "Well Karin, why don't you explore the ward while Captain Hitsugaya and I have a quick word!" Karin nodded and walked into the first of the rooms while Ukitake gently gestured Tōshirō to come with him round the corner to talk.<p>

"Has she forgotten? Has she lost her memories? Completely?" Tōshirō nodded.  
>"Unfortunately."<br>"How did you even get her here then? She seems to trust you already." Tōshirō shrugged, which worried Ukitake.  
>"Does it matter? My job was to get her here, and she's here safe and sound." Ukitake's worry had started to show on his face.<br>"Captain Hitsugaya? Are you ok? I know you two were close."  
>"Fine." Ukitake couldn't help but notice that Tōshirō had looked away from his face when he had replied. He nodded before speaking.<br>"Ok. But Captain Hitsugaya, please remember, you know where to find me if you wish to talk." Tōshirō nodded, still looking away from the older shinigami. Just before Ukitake was about to leave the corridor Tōshirō shouted to him.  
>"Captain Ukitake."<br>"Yes?"  
>"...Thank you." Ukitake smiled sadly and left the two teenagers in the ward alone.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Later on Renji had come to talk with Tōshirō, Suì-Fēng was too busy. He briefly explained the situation, and apparently while Tōshirō had been looking for Karin it had been decided that she would be safer in the fourth squad because they could keep a closer eye on her and any changes that may occur. Despite the fact that Renji had been addressing both Karin and Tōshirō, she had managed to nod off in the middle of the conversation, well and truly tired from the events that had taken place earlier that day. After Renji had left Tōshirō picked up Karin from the seat she was sleeping in and gently put her down on the nearest bed, making sure she was comfortable. Tōshirō found himself staring at the sleeping girl. When she was like this, he could almost pretend that she hadn't forgot her memories, that she would wake and remember everything again. While he knew that would never happen, he couldn't deny the fact that deep down, even though it was childish, he was hoping for that to happen. Tōshirō sighed heavily and sat down in the chair Karin had fallen asleep in earlier. He too was exhausted. But he wasn't sure he'd be able to sleep. Now that he had no distractions or other jobs his thoughts could take over. Unfortunately the second that he had stopped ignoring his thoughts he felt like he wanted to cry again.

He knew that he cared a lot for Karin, that was obvious to anyone, even her apparently, even though she couldn't remember anything. He liked her a lot, but he never really took it further than that. The phrase 'You don't know what you have until you lose it' kept replaying in his head. It was way too relevant for his liking. Tōshirō was no expert, he barely had any experience when it came to relationships. But the way his heart beat had sped up when he saw her again, how nervous he felt around her all of a sudden...he almost didn't want to believe it, but he couldn't see anyway of escaping it. He had fallen in love with Karin. He had no idea when he had. But after he realised that she had lost her memories he knew. He finally realised that he was in love with her, after she lost her memories. Why couldn't he have figured it out before! He couldn't possibly say it now, it would scare Karin off. He remembered that at one point he had thought about the possibility. That night the simple word 'love' scared him so much. Why? Why was it so hard to say, even think about back then? It was all he wanted to tell her now, despite how nerve racking it was. Tōshirō wanted to let her know. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, that he never wanted to leave her,but he missed his chance. Who could tell if they were ever going to get that close again?

Tōshirō was far from stupid. He had to consider the possibility of Karin finding someone else. There was no guarantee that the two would become as close as they were. It hurt, to think about it, but he had to prepare himself for it. If Karin were to fall in love with someone else who the hell was he to stop her? That would be incredibly selfish, and she simply wouldn't be happy. A single tear rolled down Tōshirō's cheek as he looked at Karin again. At this point, the chance of getting really close again was just as likely as the chance of the two spreading apart. The mere thoughts killed him, but there was no way he could possibly live with himself if he stopped her from being happy. He knew that her memories were in there somewhere, but it looked likely that he had lost 'his' Karin.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The following morning Tōshirō was woken up by Karin. He looked at Karin briefly who had smiled at him before checking the surroundings and realising that he had managed to fall asleep in the chair. He bent his neck side-to-side which proved to be very painful, he had been stuck in an awkward position for too long. "You're neck ok?"  
>"It'll be fine." Karin nodded.<br>"A captain is waiting in her office to talk to you by the way."  
>"Captain Unohana?" Karin shrugged.<br>"I dunno, maybe. Sounds familiar. Whoever it was was the captain of this squad." Tōshirō nodded slightly, not being able to move his neck round too much.  
>"Yeah, that's Captain Unohana. I should go see her now then, you going to be alright on your own?" Karin nodded.<br>"Shinigami aren't as bad as I thought they were." Tōshirō gave her a small smile before leaving the ward.  
>Tōshirō knocked on Unohana's door and waited to be invited in. Unohana smiled kindly at him when he entered the room and gestured for him to sit down.<p>

"What is this about Captain Unohana?"  
>"Karin Kurosaki. Captain Hitsugaya, has she completely lost her memories?"<br>"Seems that way. She can remember how she died, but I do not know if that is common or not."  
>"Hmm...it's not common or uncommon. Some people remember their deaths, some don't. Now Captain Hitsugaya, would you agree that her regaining her memories would prove to be useful?" Tōshirō paused for a moment, not really knowing where this was going, before agreeing.<br>"She would would be much more likely to keep herself safe." Unohana nodded.  
>"I thought as much. I was worried about memory loss when I had heard about the events a fortnight ago. She had begun training if I'm not mistaken?" Tōshirō nodded and allowed her to continue. "Being able to put up her own defences will help her out a great deal when it comes to Aizen, unfortunately after losing her memories I have no doubt that she will be unable to any more. And re-training could take months, especially to someone who doesn't even know who or how serious the enemy is." Tōshirō nodded slowly taking in Unohana's words.<br>"Excuse me if I sound ignorant Captain Unohana, but what are you trying to get at here?" Unohana smiled before answering.

"Surely you've heard of souls remembering their past life? I'm hoping for this to happen with Karin."  
>"But how?"<br>"Well this is why I have high hopes for this. Souls have been known to accomplish this on their own accord, but we can be more effective in this case. A basic function of memory is to remind you of things that have happened in the past, usually useful and highly relevant. A good example is when a young child touches something like a hot oven for the first time. They will do it out of curiosity, but are very unlikely to do it again because the sight of the oven triggers off the memory, which will almost always remind them of the pain they had felt. With Karin we have the advantage of so many people knowing her before we died. Being exposed to previous friends will help, but we can go a step further. Previously I used the word trigger. Captain Hitsugaya, can you think of anything that would act as a trigger to her memory? Memories are locked away until needed, however she doesn't know they they are needed because she doesn't know or understand the threat, so we need to do it for her. I'm hoping that with enough triggers, enough different memories will come back to her to the point where she should be able to connect some of them together, until she forms a full memory again."

Tōshirō sat in awe of Unohana's words. If he was honest, he had always thought of biology being rather complex, the mind especially. And yet she had described memory so easily. Then again, she could've been giving him a simplified version, but he didn't care. He didn't think there was anyway she could've got her memories back, but now she seemed to have a fighting chance. Admittedly other people were fighting for her, but she had a chance. When he noticed that Unohana had started speaking again he stopped thinking so much and hung on her every word.  
>"So Captain Hitsugaya, can you think of anything that would work as a trigger? Please state anything you think may have a chance of working. I'd much rather have a pile of objects that didn't work rather than a list of things we didn't try just because we weren't sure. Tōshirō nodded.<br>"To be honest Captain Unohana, there are so many things that could work, I'm not sure I could name them all. I imagine the main ones would be some of her sport equipment, maybe some of the uniforms she used in the past, her music, favourite clothes, books although I don't know which ones...While it would be tricky I can't help but think it would be easier to just take her to the Living World. Take her to the clinic her dad used to run, walk her round the area she used to live, go to the schools she used to attend, go to the apartment we lived at, a lot of objects that could work is in there." Unohana nodded but smiled sadly.  
>"I agree that it would be easier in some ways to just take a small trip to the Living World, but at the moment it's too risky, I want to keep a close eye on her. Although, I'm sure you could go to the Living World by yourself and pick up some items and take some photographs, they could work just as well as actually going to the places. Tōshirō nodded.<br>"Alright, but I'm going to need her permission first." Unohana smiled.  
>"Yes I noticed that you two were close, even after the loss of her memories. The most logical thing I can think of is that you were such a big part of her life than she couldn't completely forget you." The corners of Tōshirō's mouth lifted slightly, smiling slightly at the idea even though he was a little embarrassed.<p>

After Unohana dismissed him from her office he went straight back to Karin who had become so bored that she had started to read some of the medical books in the room. "Anything interesting?" Karin looked up from the book and smiled.  
>"Actually yeah. It's intriguing to see how the body works...and some of it seems SO familiar."<br>"Well like Captain Ukitake said, you were a nurse." Karin put a bookmark in the book and paid full attention to Tōshirō.  
>"Oh yeah...Was I a good nurse?"<br>"That's one of the only things I don't know about you. I've never seen you while you were working...But knowing you, probably. You're the kinda person who if they're going to do something, they do it properly." Karin sat up from her slumped position, almost in a business-like fashion.  
>"So much DO you know about me?" Tōshirō thought for a moment before answering.<br>"A lot. You used to know a lot about me too."  
>"Can you tell me about my past?"<br>"...I don't think it's a good idea." Karin eyes narrowed, thoroughly confused. "It's so easy for people to create their own 'memories' from stories they hear, when all it their 'memories' are is their version of what they think could've happened."  
>"Oh..."<br>"Although, I was just talking to Captain Unohana about that. She thinks we may be able to get your memories back." Karin's eyes widened slightly and she grinned.

"Really?" Tōshirō couldn't stop himself from smiling back. He swore Karin's smiles were contagious.  
>"Yeah, although it would mean I'd have to leave you for a good couple of hours." Karin raised her eyebrow.<br>"Captain Unohana thinks we can set off your memory again by using triggers, but I'm going to have to go get them." Karin nodded slowly.  
>"Is this the only way with a chance of getting my memories back?"<br>"At the moment, yes." Karin nodded.  
>"Fine...You know what could act as a trigger?"<br>"You know how triggers work in it comes to memory? I didn't." Karin thought for a moment, confused.  
>"Good point...how do I know that? I suppose I just kinda knew..."<br>"Good. That means you can remember some things from before, although you might not know it." Karin smiled. "Why do you want to remember so badly anyway?" Karin shrugged.  
>"It's hard to explain...and embarrassing...I just feel like I'm missing out an a lot if I don't remember. But that doesn't really matter, what matters is getting my memories back!" Tōshirō smiled.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō was genuinely surprised at easy it was to get Karin to cooperate with him now. After his little 'rant' she seemed to be able to trust him a lot more. He wondered just how much of his feelings he'd given away during it, Karin seemed to be so calm and happy during this. He couldn't help but speculate why. Maybe it was because the faces around here were familiar to her, even after she lost her memories, or maybe she really did want her memories back so badly. Before while they were in Rukongai she seemed very reluctant at the thought of Tōshirō leaving (how she trusted him so quickly was beyond him, but he theorized that it might just be blind instinct) and yet she was happy to let him go if it meant helping her remember things. Almost every soul was curious about their past at one point, assuming they weren't born in Soul Society, but Karin seemed especially eager to not just find out, but to actually remember.

After finding out that Karin was fine with him leaving for a couple of hours he phoned Ichigo to update him about the situation. (After a somewhat awkward discussion the two had agreed to continuously update the other if progress was being made on either side.) He had asked Ichigo to pile up anything that he deemed useful to save time and was about ready to go. He gathered himself, found a reasonably sized bag and shunpoed back to Karin. She was reading again, although this time she was humming a tune. It wouldn't have bothered Tōshirō except that the tune sounded familiar, and he knew it wasn't from Soul Society. It was definitely a modern song. Tōshirō could actually feel his spirits soaring, it seemed more and more likely that she would be able to remember. The question was would she be able to remember before it was too late? He sure hoped so. He said goodbye to Karin and left the fourth squad and into the Living World the entire time trying to remember the song the tune had come from. It would be fairly easy to grab a couple of CDs and her CD player, but he felt like he should make sure to get that song, whichever CD it was. Unfortunately, Karin had tons of CDs and there was no way Tōshirō could carry them all with him. He sighed before entering the apartment building, hoping that the potential triggers will work.

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><p><strong>Hooray for a happier chapter! XD I know there's the whole issue of can the CD player work in Soul Society, but Shinji had a phonograph in Turn Back the Pendulum. I can't remember exactly (I plan to reread it before I write the next chapter) but I think Aizen disaproved of the jazz music, which I think was new to him which would suggest that it was from the Living World, but I'm not sure. I'll check and write the next chapter accordingly. ^^ I felt like there was a lot of dialogue in this chapter, so I hope it wasn't too hard to read ^^; I'm not sure when I'll be able to write the next chapter (there are rumours flying around that the riots are going to get worse DX) and I still need to finish off my essay, but I have a clear idea of what I'm going to write, so when I get round to it, it shouldn't take long. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! ^^<strong>

**P.S - Please ignore the crappy title XD I could not think of anything else. Titles are definitely not my storng point XD  
><strong>


	11. First Encounters

**Ugh, sorry for taking so damn long to post this chapter. My original plan was to write and post the first chapter of my new UlquiHime fic (which I did) then continue writing and post this, which didn't happen because I managed to fall ill. I apologize if this chapter isn't as good as the rest, it's been incredibly hard to write and even then it's still pretty short. Ah well, I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I've pretty much completely sorted out all the details and plot points and stuff and I have a pretty clear idea how the rest of the story is going to go, this does mean however the end is already on the horizon. (Just watch me accidently extend it by 5 chapters somehow now XD) It's a huge shame because I've really enjoyed writing this (and still will for a short while.) I have more HitsuKarin stuff planned out though! :D (Including re-writing some of my old stories. I don't want to write lots in detail here. If you're interested the reasons are on my profile.)  
><strong>

**Review Replies:**

**Every shadow has its twin:** Thanks, I hope you enjoy this chapter ^^  
><strong>Twistedkorn:<strong> I'm glad you think so! I hope you like this chapter too!  
><strong>Bleached-Whale: <strong>Gosh my writing never used to make people cry before. Not sure if proud or guilty, seriously. I don't know what to feel. XD I was thinking about using it as a trigger but then I realised that Tōshirō would probably be too nervous or scared to do it XD ASDFGHJKLSORRY. This chapter is way too short for me liking, but I have a feeling the next one or the one after that is going to be huge. Trust me, soon enough shit is going to go down and it's going to take a lot of writing to cover everything that's happening XD I always love your reviews seriously. Whenever I see the word review in my inbox I get really happy and when I see it's from you I end up doing a little dance/spazz thing. I updated as soon as I could with illness and schoolwork, but I feel so late. XD  
><strong>Nightsparrow15: <strong>Well updates might get just a little slower because I'm working on two stories now, that might help. Happy 18th birthday for whenever it is! ^^** Chapter 8 review:** Aizen really is a bitch, but trust me he'll get what's coming to him D I know, if I were Tōshirō it would've pissed me off, but the captains are just trying to be nice XD Good point about Mayuri, he's very intelligent, a little creepy, but intelligent nonetheless. "how lovers really kiss" I gotta say, I love your wording. Over the decades Tōshirō's picked up a couple things! X'D Honestly I've never been able to decide on an age for him. But I'd say late 130s to early 140s is probably right. ^^** Chapter 9 review**: Ah Rangiku Matsumoto, she's a sneaky one...That's a scary coincidence...hmm really? I never knew that, how interesting. Ah see my brother says I'm kinda similar to Ichigo XD I'm the oldest of four children, if I hear strange or unusual noises, not matter what time of day (or night) I go to check it out, especially if it scares my brothers. I have a tendency to want/try to protect them. XD An example being (rather similar to the story if you think about it) when my next door neighbour was bouncing his basketball of our garage roof I opened the window and glared at him until he went back inside because the noise was scaring them. But yes, what a pity that is XD I'm glad you liked his rage, it was interesting to write XD I'm wondering if I should put in the story again (him being in the fourth squad for health reasons) just to torture him. Or is that too cruel? From what I've gathered, it's just chance. The higher the power the more likely you are to keep your memories, but there's still a chance that you'll forget. (And I needed a plot twist XD) Lord can you even find a trunk that I could fit in? XD** Chapter 10 review: **Good to know, I'll keep the replies up here then ^^ i'm so glad you liked Tōshirō's speech, it took quite a while to finish, I kept changing and changing it. Interesting, you're the second person who thought he should kiss her. I'm sure you'll like at least one bit of this chapter =D Ah you make a good point. To be honest I'm bad at naming chapters, I should probably limit the amount of words I use in a title XD I hope you like this chapter ^^

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><p><span>Chapter 11: First Encounters<span>

Tōshirō wondered if all conversations with Ichigo would be awkward. None of them actually finished as such, they just kinda trailed off into the incredibly awkward atmosphere. Although Tōshirō supposed that was better then hatred or fighting or anything like that. He was currently standing in Karin's bedroom, looking around at everything. He realised that he hadn't actually looked at her room properly before. They only times Tōshirō was in her bedroom was if she was in there too, and if Karin was in a room...Well it wasn't the room he spent his time looking at. He didn't know how many CDs she actually had, but there were absolutely tons. Well it was true, she listened to music all the time, but he never thought there would be this many. Ichigo had pulled some of them out already, but obviously interests change all the time. It'd be good to get music that were her all time favourites, but unfortunately he didn't know what they were. He'd just have to pick up the ones where the titles or the name of the artists sounded familiar.

He had spent a good two hours or so in Karin's room looking for anything and everything that could work. He now had about 17 CDs, her CD player, her iPod, a couple of the books he had seen her read, a photo album that he had found under her bed and her childhood teddy bear (again found under the bed). He carefully packed the items before going over to her wardrobe. Tōshirō opened the doors to reveal the shocking amount of clothes she owned. What was the point of owning so much? He hadn't even seen her in some of these. Still, he looked through various articles of clothing, pulling out the ones he had seen her in the most. There were two drawers at the bottom of the wardrobe, the top one of which he pulled open. He shut it almost immediately, his cheeks tinged with pink. It had, at no point, occurred to him that he would come across her underwear (and pyjamas.) While he highly doubted that her underwear would trigger anything, he understood that it would make her life more comfortable. It's not like she could go out and purchase new ones due to being stuck in the fourth squad. Reluctantly he picked up four or five sets of underwear and packed them quickly in the bag, trying to get them out of his hands as soon as possible. Tōshirō knew he shouldn't really be that effected by Karin's underwear, it was just pieces of cloth sewn together. However, just as he knew full well he shouldn't be effected, he knew full well why. It annoyed him to no end. When did such things start to bother him? It was typical how he had desperately wanted to grow for decades but now that he was he found the processes that come growing distressing. Although, judging by the behaviour of the majority of teens, both human and souls, such frustration wasn't uncommon.

When Tōshirō felt like he couldn't collect any more he said goodbye to both Ichigo and Rukia and left to go back to Karin. When he had reached the small ward which was now housing the two of them it had gone past 7 o'clock in the evening. He opened the door to her bedroom to find her sleeping peacefully on her bed, still fully clothed, a book on the floor near the bed. Tōshirō smiled before gently waking her. Her sleepy eyes stared at him for a while before stretching.  
>"Why'd ya wake me?"<br>"It's only quarter past 7. You don't want to screw up your body clock too much."  
>Karin groaned as she sat up. "Oh...right...Oh hey. You're back."<br>Tōshirō nodded. "I've got quite a lot of things, but you still seem sleepy."  
>Karin rubbed her eyes. "I am. I'm gonna take a quick shower."<br>Tōshirō nodded. "Ok." Karin stretched again before getting up properly and walking slowly towards the bathroom in her room. She gave him a quick smile before closing the door.

Tōshirō decided to start finding homes for the things he had brought back. He had tried to plug in the CD player but it turned out that the plug and the socket weren't compatible, much to Tōshirō's chagrin. He'd have to figure out some other way to get it to work. He put her books on the bookcase along with her CDs and the photo album and pulled out the rest of her belongings. He had just finished putting Karin's iPod and her old teddy bear on her bedside table when he heard her bathroom door open.  
>"Oh you're still in here!"<br>Tōshirō nodded and turned to face her just before he started to speak. "Sorry I was just..."  
>"Just what?" Karin was trying her hardest not to laugh. Clearly Tōshirō had not expected her to walk out of the bathroom with just a towel wrapped round her.<br>"You're...a lot more...confident these days."  
>Karin raised her eyebrow and smirked slightly. "Oh?" Karin walked closer to him. "Should I be nervous around you?" Tōshirō could feel his mouth going dry. Karin could see the small amount of panic in his eyes and decided to change the subject, even if his reaction was adorable. "So what's all this on the bed?"<br>"Just some of your human clothes. The ones you wore the most, I don't know if they'll help you to remember anything, but I imagine you'll be more comfortable."  
>"Thanks. Would you kindly go away now? I'm not going to change in front of you." Tōshirō quickly left the room leaving Karin smiling. <em>'He's so shy, even though we were so close. That's actually kinda adorable.'<em>

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Karin and Tōshirō were both frustrated. They had been trying to get her to remember something significant for the past 2 hours, but nothing seemed to be working. Karin flopped backwards onto her bed with an exasperated sigh. "Let's face it Tōshirō, this is getting us nowhere. All I've remembered is tiny, random and unimportant details."  
>"Well it's not like we haven't tried everything. Once I get your CD player working I'm hoping that might make a few things click. You used to listen to music all the time."<br>Karin nodded. "I guess...But I wouldn't get high hopes if I were you."  
>Tōshirō stayed silent for a moment before getting up from the bed. "I'm going to do some work. Why don't you try and get some sleep? I heard you tossing and turning all night."<br>Karin nodded again. "That's not a bad idea. Just don't let me sleep for ages ok?"  
>"Sure."<br>Karin was roughly shaken awake by Tōshirō later on. "What!"  
>Tōshirō stared into her eyes, like he was trying to see her very soul, the essence of her. It unnerved her a bit. "You were thrashing around in your sleep a lot. I was worried."<br>Karin shrugged. "People always move about in their sleep. It was probably just a nightmare."  
>Tōshirō sat down on the bed next to Karin. "So you don't remember anything from it?" Karin shook her head, confused slightly.<br>"I suppose it was just a normal nightmare then. I'll let you go back to sleep."  
>Karin nodded and fell back onto her bed. "Night Tōsh."<br>Tōshirō stopped moving away from the bed. "Wait, what did you just call me?"  
>"...Tōsh...Huh...When did I start calling you that?"<br>Tōshirō grinned. "Don't worry about it, just go to sleep."  
>"But..."<br>"What is it?"

Karin looked away from Tōshirō's face, and started to pay attention to the pattern on her blanket. "I can't remember much, but I know that I'm not the kind of person who gives nicknames to people. So...Why can I call you Tōsh so easily? Seriously...What were you to me?"  
>Tōshirō sighed heavily and leant against the door frame with a sad expression. "I don't think I should tell you. Not yet anyway. It would be better if you could remember on your own accord." Karin slid out of her bed and walked over to Tōshirō, standing in front of him in such a way that it would be difficult for him to get away if he so wished. "I know...but..." She tentatively reached up to rest her hands on Tōshirō's shoulder, surprising him. "Tōsh...I wanna know. Why am I so comfortable with you? It's so easy to be around you. I'm not supposed to know you...and yet...it's so easy to trust you...If it wasn't for our age I'd think..."<br>Tōshirō slowly moved his hands to rest on her waist, looking into her eyes. "You'd think what?"  
>Karin looked away from Tōshirō's eyes, just like she had done so many times before when she was embarrassed or nervous. "I'd think...I'd think that we were...engaged or something...I really shouldn't have trusted you so quickly. You would've thought that would go against instinct, blindly trusting someone you don't know. But...not trusting you felt like going <em>against<em> instinct. I wanna know who you are. I...I wanna be that close again."

Tōshirō gazed at Karin as she leant up towards him. Her hands moved from his shoulders up into his hair. Tōshirō let his hands slide from her waist to the small of her back, pulling her closer. Karin seemed to be struggling to keep her eyes on his, she was just as embarrassed and nervous as she was when they had kissed for the first time. Then again, she probably thought this _was_ her first kiss. He leaned forward and kissed her lightly before pulling back again, observing her reaction. Karin sighed slightly as she leant against Tōshirō, fairly red from the physical contact. "Well...I should... probably get back to bed." Tōshirō nodded and let her walk back to her bed, looking back at him for a moment before getting into bed. Tōshirō closed her bedroom door and made his way to his room.

XxXxXxXxXxX

The next couple of days were quite frankly, uneventful. They were still trying to get Karin to remember anything significant. Unfortunately they were having no such luck yet. Little details were bleeding through, but it wasn't good enough. Although it was a start. What didn't help is while things weren't really awkward between the two, it wasn't exactly comfortable either. Neither of them knew what to do next when it came to each other. So they just ignored whatever feelings they had and went on trying to get Karin to remember things. It scared Tōshirō a bit though. Trying so hard to remember appeared to be taking a toll on Karin. She got tired quicker and she slept for longer hours. It honestly worried him a lot, but he decided not to let it show. While she hadn't admitted it, Tōshirō knew she was scared enough as it was. From hearing snippets of other people's conversations and other things she was starting to grasp the threat Aizen's posed to not only Soul Society, but herself. It was obvious that the idea frightened her a lot. He didn't need to get her all worried over something else on top of everything else too. Unohana didn't think it was anything to worry about yet, after all teenage sleep patterns can change and fluctuate depending how much they were growing at the time.

Tōshirō was walking to his temporary bedroom in the ward after completing all of his paperwork. Due to Rangiku being a pain as always, he was currently making his way to his room at 2 in the morning. Just after he passed Karin's door he heard her mumble something. Curious, he opened her door quietly. Something was different about the room but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. It looked slightly different, and it _felt_ different. How on earth does a room change in the space of a couple hours or so? Slowly Tōshirō entered Karin's bedroom, eyes roaming the room to see if he could spot anything unusual. But there was nothing, the room was just different. He couldn't tell if he liked it or not. It was just different to the norm. It was very strange.

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Before they knew it, two weeks had passed and pretty much no one had made any decent progress. Karin was still struggling with her memories, the 'defeat Aizen' group were getting stronger but at a very slow pace and it was incredibly difficult to increase the defences around him any further, luckily something else seemed to be stopping Aizen, but nobody had any idea what. Karin appeared to be having less nightmares, but she was murmuring to herself more and more. Tōshirō honestly didn't know what to think of it. The entire situation was getting weirder and more confusing as time went on. He was glad that Ichigo and Rukia were coming back to Soul Society soon though. They had dealt with almost all of the issues with the authorities, and Tōshirō hoped seeing their faces would trigger something in Karin, after all she had known both of them a lot longer than she did him.

Tōshirō woke up with a start early in the morning. He had no idea what had woken him up, but something did. He checked the date to see that today was the day that Ichigo and Rukia were coming back. Maybe they had knocked? They didn't specify what time they would come. He checked the front door to the ward, and after seeing there was no one there he decided to check on Karin. He doubted anything serious had happened, he would've heard her if she was having a nightmare (or an attack from Aizen for that matter) and if she had woken up she probably would've come to see him, she usually did. When he got to her bedroom's door he saw a faint glow from under the door. Had she fallen asleep without turning off her lamp by accident? When Tōshirō opened the door he looked at all of the possible light sources before becoming thoroughly confused. The glow wasn't coming from anything in particular, the room was just brighter than every other room. But if anything there were less windows in here than there were in his room so what on earth was making the room light up like this? He was about to leave her room when he heard her murmur something. He got closer to Karin to try and hear what she was saying. It was probably nothing, she had been known to talk in her sleep before, but he wanted to check.

"I can't...h..." Tōshirō raised an eyebrow. What on earth? "But...I can't...I'm listening...but I can't." Very quietly, Tōshirō whispered to Karin, asking her what she couldn't do. "I can't...hear...you're mouth's moving...but...I can't...I can't hear..." Tōshirō took a step back from Karin in shock, staring at her. Of course! Why hadn't he thought of it before? How could he have been so stupid! It was practically the same thing that happened to him! The light was coming from Karin. She was talking to her Zanpakutō! She had to be, it made perfect sense. When Hyōrinmaru first started talking to him the room always got colder and sometimes got covered in frost, and the room was practically glowing right now. She was confused at the fact that she couldn't hear whatever was talking to her, just like he was. Why had this never occurred to him? It seemed awfully obvious now. Everything fit. She was a soul after all, and a powerful one at that. Losing her memories didn't change her power. It was just bad luck that she had forgotten. Power did increase your chances of not forgetting, but it didn't get rid of the possibility completely. There was absolutely nothing stopping her from getting a Zanpakutō. Tōshirō was mentally kicking himself. Seriously, why hadn't he thought of that before?

Tōshirō wondered what he should do. Well, obviously he was going to tell Unohana, but it's not like Karin could enroll into the academy, but she could do with being trained. Saying that, Ichigo didn't train for long. He pretty much just made it up as he went along. Tōshirō understood that Ichigo was more powerful than her, but he honestly doubted that it would take Karin a lot longer to train to a decent level. Even Ichigo had admitted it, Karin was smarter than he was, and she had a tendency to strategically plan everything. Tōshirō's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. He walked out of Karin's room and went to the entrance of the ward, spotting a rather familiar head of orange hair. He offered a small smile as he opened the door, which to his surprise, Ichigo returned. Tōshirō assumed he was just happy that he could see his sister again for the first time in over a month.  
>"Hey Tōshirō, where's Karin?"<br>"She's still asleep."  
>Ichigo nodded. "Fair enough. I won't wake her. Anything new since you last phoned?"<br>Tōshirō nodded and gestured for both Ichigo and Rukia to sit down. "Literally 5 minutes ago. I think she's encountered her Zanpakutō."  
>Ichigo's eyes widened. "You're kidding!"<br>Rukia smiled a fraction. "That was quick."  
>Ichigo spoke with a sort of pride. "Just what I'd expect from her. Any idea what her Zanpakutō is like?"<br>"All I know is that it involves light."  
>Rukia spoke with a smile on her face. "I bet it's pretty." Tōshirō nodded slightly and allowed Rukia to continue speaking. "So how do you know?"<br>"She's doing the same things I did when I first started seeing and trying to talk to Hyōrinmaru. Her bedroom changes when she's asleep and she keeps talking in her sleep. Actually she's probably doing it now."  
>Rukia nodded. "I think most shinigami encounter their Zanpakutō in their sleep. Apparently the atmosphere of my room changed when I slept."<br>"Wait a sec, so does this mean she's just getting her Zanpakutō normally and safely like every other shinigami does?"  
>Tōshirō answered Ichigo's question. "Yes, she's not in danger, and as far as I can tell she's not causing anyone else discomfort or pain."<br>Ichigo grinned. "Good. I have no problems with her being a shinigami, I just want her to do it the right way."

The second Karin woke up and entered the main part of the ward Ichigo practically came flying at her, hugging her as tightly and quickly as he could. "Um...Hi?"  
>Ichigo let go and scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry, I haven't seen you in ages." Karin nodded slowly and gave Ichigo a small smile. She knew that this man was her older brother because Tōshirō told her, and he did indeed look familiar, but she couldn't really remember anything. It annoyed Karin to no end. There were so many people who wanted her to remember things, but she simply wasn't making decent progress. She hated it.<p>

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Tōshirō woke up to a loud banging on the ward entrance door. He groaned and quickly put the top of his uniform on before grabbing his captain's cloak which he put on as he walked towards the door. He opened it with a confused look on his face.  
>"Abarai?"<br>"It's Aizen. He's managed to break through the first wall of defence we put around him."  
>Tōshirō ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "Is it possible to put it back up again?"<br>"We have no idea. The captains of our group, except for Captain Zaraki, and Hisagi are trying to, but it's hard. I thought I should tell you, that way you can keep an even closer eye on Karin."  
>Tōshirō nodded. "Thanks. I appreciate you telling me."<br>Renji nodded too. "So...out of interest, is it true? That Karin's met her Zanpakutō?"  
>"God, I always underestimate how quickly rumours and gossip can go round. Yes, it is."<br>"...Awesome. Well I wish you both luck." Tōshirō nodded and watched Renji go. He closed the door and walked over to Karin's bedroom, deciding to check on her. He opened the door to reveal a sleeping Karin, looking perfectly peaceful and content. Tōshirō sighed, wondering how long that will last. He looked at Karin's sleeping form once more before closing her door again and going back to his room.

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><p><strong>Crappy chapter is crappy. I always hate these bridge type chapters, I always find them so hard to write. Ah well, the next chapter should be decent. I have the majority planned out and you should be finding out more about Karin's Zanpakutō. I've got the appearance and the abilities sorted out, I just have to decide on a name. Seriously, I cannot wait to write the next chapter, chances are it's going to be the one where tons of stuff happens. (which may mean it gets exceedingly long, but hey XD) Well I hope you liked this chapter, and I hope you're all looking forward to the next, I certainly am! XD<strong>


	12. The New Plan

**I was planning to update my UlquiHime fic first, but this was just calling out to me, I just had to write it. I'm hoping the pace of this chapter is ok ^^; One thing I failed to mention last chapter (although you probably figured it out) is that after talking with my beta reader (she's beta reading my UlquiHime) I've decided to change the way I layout my stories, making them slightly more grammatically correct and hopefully a lot easier to tell who's talking. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it took quite a while to finish XD**

**Review replies:**

**Xero46: **Thanks a lot! =D I'm glad you liked it, and I hope you like this one too ^^**  
>Bara-san:<strong> Yeah, that's a pretty accurate description, a filler chapter. XD I'm glad you liked it ^^ I love it when they kiss too XD I'm sure you'll like this chapter too!**  
>Every shadow has its twin: A<strong>h, I can't wait to reveal more about her Zanpakto, my brother helped my design it and everything XD There's a little more of her Zanpakto in this chapter, so I hope you like it ^^**  
>Cittyno2: <strong>There's more of her Zanpakto in this chapter, I hope you enjoy it! Indeed, Aizen's being all strong and evil. You'll just have to wait and see what happens! I hope you like this chapter! =D**  
>Nightsparrow15: <strong>Seeing as you asked I'll tell you! No it's not going to be a fire type. I agree with you, I like the idea of it being fire and all, but honestly, I wanted to be different, so after thinking about it and researching a bit I decided to make it a light based Zanpakto. Mainly because of Tōshirō's song from the Bleach Beat Collections. It's called 'This light I see' so I figured light would be a good one to use! =D That sounds really cool I must say, having the ability to make day dreams come true? That's an ability I want XD Oh it was so much fun writing that. I was reading through the scene, sitting there thinking that it was too boring and wondering what would make it less so and the idea just came to me XD I hope you like this chapter too ^^**  
>Twistedkorn: <strong>I'm guessing you meant to write a heart? (I hope so anyway XD) My friend told me that the 'less than' and 'more than' signs don't show up in reviews, so I'll assume it was that XD Thanks a lot ^^ I hope you enjoy this chapter ^^  
>Bleached-Whale: My dear, I love the fact that you can write tons. I swear my heart soars everytime I see a review written by you XD I would happily read reviews that went on forever XD Aww I'm glad you liked that part! I really enjoyed writing that bit, I was determined to get them to kiss. XD I swear I practically swooned at your comment. I'm so happy that you like the way I write ='D I really appreciate you saying such things. I want to hug you. XD I'm sure you would get bored if nothing exciting happened, but luckily this next chapter is full to the brim of exciting events! (Lord, I feel like I'm advertising or something XD) I hope you like this chapter as well! ^^<strong><br>**

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><p><span>Chapter 12: The New Plan<span>

The next few of days were uneventful, much to Tōshirō's surprise. He had expected Aizen to try and attack Karin, but it never happened. After a couple of conversations with Unohana she had come up with the theory that Karin was too busy focusing on her Zanpaktō, desperately trying to hear it to the point where Aizen couldn't break through. How are you supposed to make someone do something if they're paying absolutely no attention? Tōshirō supposed it did make sense, but there was always the possibility that Aizen was just taking a break for god knows what reason.

He was desperately hoping that Unohana's theory was correct, it had gotten to the point where he couldn't tell if he was logically reasoning about the situation or wanting her to be safe so much the he was getting delusional. But he really did hope she was right. Once you get a Zanpaktō, it never goes away, it dies with you. If Karin focusing on her Zanpaktō was stopping Aizen from getting to her then she could continue to do that until need be. It didn't matter if she got her memories back or she learnt the Zanpaktō's name or anything, she'd always be able to focus on it, and the group that is in charge of defeat Aizen were still making progress. Slow, but it was getting there. That was one side of the aggravating battle inside him. The other side was telling him that he was wishing too hard for this, and that it could all be a coincidence. That Karin being distracted by her Zanpaktō was in fact incorrect. But at this point in time, nobody could tell what was going on. Tōshirō found it incredibly infuriating. He became a shinigami so he wouldn't have to hurt anyone close to him, so he could actually protect them for a change. Right now he couldn't do anything.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin sighed, rather bored at the current moment in time. It had been decided that Soul Society were going to train her a few basic things, but they were trying to figure out who should teach her and what should be taught. Karin was honestly interested in all of the training. They asked her what squad she would be interested in, but she didn't really know. Well, she did, from things she had heard, she couldn't really decide, she was interested in quite a few. The first squad sounded boring, she was interested in the second squad, Karin admired the captain of the squad despite never meeting her (well if she did she didn't remember,) she was completely indifferent towards the third squad, she was almost tempted to join the fourth because she didn't like the amount of verbal abuse they got. She wouldn't mind going in being a nurse (after reading a few of the books in the fourth squad she realised she was rather interested in biology) and if any squad were to try and badmouth her she would bloody sort them out. The people in the fourth squad were nice too. But Karin knew she would get bored, fighting and sparing did interest her, and there probably wouldn't be very much in the fourth squad. The fifth squad was another squad she was indifferent too, the sixth squad had Renji and apparently they got along quite well previously, and he did seem pretty friendly, although Karin wondered if that was because he was somewhat close to her brother.

She honestly had absolutely no idea about the seventh division, the eighth seemed ok, both the captain and the vice-captain seemed pretty nice, apparently the ninth squad were sort of art or culture specialists which slightly interested Karin. She wasn't any good at art, but she certainly appreciated it, and she enjoyed literature. Personally she didn't think the tenth was a good idea, working with your...well she didn't know what he was. Karin supposed partner was the best term here. Either way, it could cause all sorts of problems and it would be a matter of time before Tōshirō got accused for favouritism or something. She couldn't really make her mind up about the eleventh squad. Quite a few people were afraid to go near the eleventh squad barracks, but Karin didn't see any reason not to. So the captain was a little enthusiastic about fighting. So what? Wouldn't that just make him good at his job? The vice-captain was adorable. She was a little eccentric, Karin admitted that, but all she wanted most of the time was for someone to play with her. Go find a kid who doesn't want people to play with them. Some of the other seated officers sounded like decent people too. The twelfth squad freaked Karin out. It was a shame really, Karin wasn't stupid and she was actually petty good with academics, she wouldn't be completely out of place in the twelfth squad, but there was no way she would go into that squad while it was captained by King Freakshow. Karin certainly wouldn't mind going into the thirteenth. The captain was really nice, he had visited both her and Tōshirō often and occasionally given them sweets too. Tōshirō didn't appreciate them, but Karin did. Plus Rukia was in the squad, which was an added bonus. While she had only spent a couple of days with Rukia, Karin already liked her a lot.

That gave her the choice between the second, the third, the fifth, the sixth, the seventh, the eighth, the ninth, the eleventh, the thirteenth and _maybe_ the fourth. How was she supposed to choose from 9 or 10 divisions, especially when she didn't know much. At the moment Karin didn't really care. She was too busy trying to remember memories and trying to actually hear her Zanpaktō. She was getting clearer and clearer, clear enough to know that her Zanpaktō was female, but she still couldn't quite hear. Ever since Ichigo came back to Soul Society the clarity of her Zanpaktō's speech and appearance increased a lot. Unohana told her that Ichigo leaked reiatsu continuously, so people who are close to him or even live near him are going to be affected. She told Karin that it was probably just the sudden increase of power that was now constantly near her. Tōshirō had noticed the sudden increase as well, apparently the light that she seemed to emit when she was sleeping kept getting brighter as the nights went on.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin woke up, wait...she was still asleep. God the sensation was still confusing. She was awake in what she assumed was her subconscious. Wait...no...her inner world. It was starting to get lighter, meaning she could actually see. She saw her Zanpaktō waiting for her, literally sitting on the crescent moon up in the sky, which was filled with stars. "Kinda cliché don't you think?"  
>Her Zanpaktō merely smiled and shrugged slightly. "It's <em>your<em> inner world dear."  
>Karin squinted in concentration. "Hey I heard some of that! Can you repeat it?"<br>"I said, it's your inner world dear."  
>Karin nodded slowly. "I think I got that. And I suppose that's true. Why can I finally hear you? Well kinda hear you."<br>"Because you've gotten stronger, I've been trying to help you get stronger. Well and that silly brother of yours leaks reiatsu like you wouldn't believe." Karin raised her eyebrow, causing her Zanpaktō to sigh. "You still can't hear me properly. Oh well, I have a feeling that will stop by the end of tonight. The more you concentrate on me talking, the clearer my voice will become. You just have to train your ears." Karin stared up at the woman in a sort of longing before sighing and sitting down on the grassy floor. Some words she could hear perfectly, some sounded like she was underwater. Her Zanpaktō sighed as well and jumped down from the moon to come sit next to Karin.  
>"What's the matter?"<br>Karin stared at the grass she was sitting on, fiddling with it occasionally. "Will I ever remember my memories?"  
>Karin's Zanpaktō smiled reassuringly. "I'm sure you will. I have a feeling it will be soon actually. You don't need to worry. I know how much you want it to happen, and I'm sure it will."<p>

Karin smiled and looked up at her Zanpaktō. Karin wasn't exactly short but her Zanpaktō was a full grown woman, making her taller than Karin by a good 7 or 8 inches. Karin couldn't help staring at her. She was dressed in a pure white hooded dress, which covered her eyes. Karin could only see them when she was up close. The dress fit her perfectly, it suited her so well. It had slits down the sides of her legs making it easier to walk around and it had a small gold belt around her waist. The dress reminded Karin of European medieval dresses, except shorter as her Zanpaktō's didn't trail across the ground. It really did fit her perfectly. She had golden wavy hair that reached her waist with golden eyes to match. She didn't wear any make-up or anything, Karin honestly thought that wearing make-up would spoil her. She was naturally breathtakingly beautiful.  
>"You know, you remind me of my mum."<br>Her Zanpaktō laughed lightly, "Yes I can see why you would thi-"  
>Suddenly her Zanpaktō stood up, her sudden movements surprising Karin. "What's going on?"<br>"Something's wrong."  
>Karin stood up as well. "What's wrong?"<br>"I'm not sure. Something that shouldn't be here, is here."  
>Karin visibly tensed. "But...he hasn't bothered me for ages."<br>"And he's stronger this time. Honey, I think he was just building up his strength to try and make sure he could get through."  
>Karin's Zanpaktō could clearly see the worry that crossed Karin's face and put her arm around her. "He was trying to do what? What are we going to do?"<br>"There's not much I can do. I'm the one who gives you strength, I belong in your inner world. He's trying to invade your mind, not me. I'll give you as much guidance as I can, but you're the one who has to remain strong this time round."

"But-" Karin was cut off by the sudden surge of pain in her head, which was now increasing steadily. "Ugh...Help me!"  
>Karin's Zanpaktō placed her hands gently on her shoulders and looked into her eyes. "Keep calm honey. Keep your breathing even."<br>Karin clutched her head, eyes scrunching up in pain. "It hurts!"  
>Karin's Zanpaktō kept her voice calm and soothing. " I know it does. But you've done this before. You've gotten through this before. You can do it again!"<br>Karin shook her head. "It wasn't me."  
>"What do you mean?"<br>"Someone helped me."  
>"Who?"<br>The panic in Karin's voice was obvious now. "I can't remember!"  
>"Concentrate!"<br>"I can't!"

The Zanpaktō tightened her hold on Karin's shoulders. "Don't focus on him. Don't focus on the pain. Focus on my voice, ok? My voice only. Try to block out everything else. Focus on my voice!"  
>Karin took a few deep breaths, trying to calm down and pay attention on her Zanpaktō's voice, desperately wanting to hear every word she said. "Now Karin, concentrate. Who helped you?"<br>"I can't remember! It was before I lost my memories!"  
>"That's not good enough! Concentrate, try your best. If you can't remember them as a whole let's try sections of them."<br>"Huh?"  
>"Male or female?"<br>"Er..."  
>"Concentrate! Think about their voice."<br>A couple of moments passed before Karin suddenly exclaimed. "Male!"  
>"Good! Let's keep going! Now...Tall or short?"<br>"Um...he...he was...tall! Well, taller than me."  
>"Ok, can you think of what he looked like? Eye colour, that sort of-" Karin's Zanpaktō was interrupted by Karin letting out a scream, she clutched her head tighter.<p>

"This isn't going fast enough. Karin come on, concentrate who was he?"  
>A tear ran down Karin's cheek. "I can't remember. I just can't. It hurts. It really hurts."<br>Karin's Zanpaktō thought for a moment. "Ok let's try something different. Do you think you can focus on my voice and the pain while ignoring him?"  
>"I...I'll try."<br>"Ok. Now, what happened last time you felt this pain?"  
>"Someone helped me."<br>"Need more detail."  
>"Someone...someone...wait, am I still asleep?"<br>"Yes."  
>"I <em>think<em> he woke me up."  
>The Zanpaktō nodded. "You're not sure? Think harder."<br>"I can't-"  
>"Concentrate!"<br>"But that's before I forgot!"  
>"Karin come on! I know your memories are there, just under the surface. Concentrate!"<p>

Karin was crying now, the pain was immense and she was _very_ scared. "I can't! It's so hard!"  
>"I know, but you have to try!"<br>Karin crouched down, unable to stand up, trying to concentrate. She could feel it on the tip of her tongue. It was just as her Zanpaktō had said, it _was_ just under the surface. She could feel it, she could feel the memories, she was _so_ close to remembering she just had to push that little bit further. " I fell!"  
>"You fell?"<br>"Yeah...Wait no! Someone made me fall but didn't let me fall..."  
>"That doesn't make sense!"<br>"Just...Gimme a sec...Let me think...It's right there..." Karin suddenly let out another scream and keeled over, shocking here Zanpaktō. She crouched down quickly trying to see if Karin had lost conciousness or not. Luckily she wasn't.  
>"Karin, what's the matter? What happened!"<br>"I...remember...holy crap, I remember! I remember _everything_! It hurts though..."

Karin's Zanpaktō helped her to get back to her crouching position. "I'm not surprised dear! Remembering everything in one go! The pain isn't important right now though. What did he do? How did he help you last time?"  
>"He made me fall...Well, he caused me to feel like I was falling, which woke me up."<br>"So he caused you to wake up. How did he know you were having trouble?"  
>"He...he heard me screaming."<br>"So you know what to do."  
>"I've gotta scream again."<br>Her Zanpaktō nodded. "As loud as you can, ok?" Karin nodded and screamed, causing her Zanpaktō to cover her ears.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō woke up suddenly; but he couldn't figure out why. He lay back down again to try and fall back asleep when he heard Karin screaming. He got and out of bed in an instant, knowing exactly what was causing her to scream. He ran towards her room and opened the door as quickly as he could. Knowing that last time what caused her to wake up was a shock he ran straight to her bathroom and filled a cup to the brim with water. He ran carefully back into her room and threw it at her causing her to gasp and bolt upwards. Even with all of the water on her face, Tōshirō could tell she had been crying hysterically. Before he knew what was happening Karin ran towards him and jumped up, starting to cry again. She wrapped her legs round his hips and her arms round his neck, surprising Tōshirō. He had to take a couple steps back to steady himself while he held her tightly, using his arms to support her rear, like you would a young child.  
>"Karin?"<br>"I remembered! He tried to get me again, but I don't care. I remember everything!"  
>"You remember!"<br>Karin nodded and kissed him, once again shocking him. "You never gave up on me."  
>"Of course I didn't."<br>Karin spoke between sobs. "Yeah but still...you never...even though...it must've been so hard...but you never gave up on me...you stayed." She kissed him again, deeply this time, Tōshirō could even taste her tears that had rolled down her face but he didn't care.

After a while, Karin finally let herself down from Tōshirō, resting her head against his chest, still hugging him except this time her arms were around his waist. "You ok?"  
>"My head's killing me...but it's not as bad as last time. She helped me."<br>"She?"  
>"My Zanpaktō."<br>"Ah. Can you hear her yet?"  
>Karin nodded. "By the end of it I could, but I was kinda desperate."<br>Tōshirō hugged her tighter. "Oh well, you'll get another chance to listen to her. What matters is that you're safe and ok."

XxXxXxXxXxX

About 5 minutes after Tōshirō woke Karin up a few of the members of the fourth squad, including Isane Kotetsu, showed up. They had sensed the sudden spikes in her reiatsu that took place when she started panicking. When they saw that she was now completely awake Isane sent the others away, telling them that she'd make sure she was ok on her own. After checking a couple of things like her temperature and her reflexes she gave Karin a few a painkillers. Isane watched her take them to make sure she was ok with them and that her body didn't reject them or anything. Karin thanked Isane and she left to go back to sleep.

Karin sat down in the main part of the ward, sighing. Tōshirō closed the door after Isane left and walked over to Karin and sat down next to her, as she gestured him to. "What's up?"  
>Karin smiled at him. "Nothing really. Just...a lot of things happened in such a short space of time. It's a little...I dunno...just..."<br>"Overwhelming?"  
>"Yeah, something like that. Can't believe I remember everything."<br>"You're happy right?"  
>Karin hit him lightly on the arm. "Of course! It was just a shock."<br>Tōshirō kissed the top of her head. "I'm sure you'll get used to it soon."  
>Karin nodded. "So do you want to go back to sleep? I kinda woke you up."<br>Tōshirō shrugged. "Like it's your fault. I think I'm too awake to be honest. By the time I'd get back to sleep it would be past 6. There doesn't seem to be much point. Are you tired?"  
>"I'm tired, but not sleepy."<br>"Ah."

Karin rested her head on his shoulder. "So what should we do?"  
>"I have no idea."<br>Karin huffed. "This place is actually pretty boring sometimes. How on earth do I keep myself entertained all the time?"  
>"You don't. You sleep all the time."<br>Karin laughed. "That's true. Things need to be livelier."  
>Tōshirō rolled his eyes in amusement. "Rin, this squad is primarily for healing. It's supposed to be calm and restful."<br>"That's all well and good, but it's boring!"  
>"You suffered an attack from Aizen half an hour ago and now you're complaining that you're bored."<br>"Yep."  
>"You'll never cease to amaze me will you?"<br>Karin looked up at Tōshirō and winked at him. "Nope."  
>Tōshirō sighed. "It's going to be a long life." Karin laughed at his comment.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

After the sun had risen and people started waking up the day got rather hectic. Everyone seemed glad that Karin had got back her memories and she had several people visit her. Later on in the day she was issued with a 'blank' Zanpaktō. A generic Zanpaktō waiting to be changed by the wielder. Unohana reckoned that now she could hear her Zanpaktō and she had her memories back it was high time for her to start training. Especially as Karin had complained that she was starting to get bored. Unohana reckoned that training would keep her occupied. It was now late evening and Karin was currently meditating with her Zanpaktō across her lap, saying that she wanted herself, the sword and the Zanpaktō to be well acquainted with each other. Tōshirō was half watching, half doing work when he heard Ichigo walk up to the training grounds. Karin appeared to be well immersed with her meditation, as she didn't take any notice when Ichigo started speaking.  
>"Hi Tōshirō."<br>Tōshirō nodded in recognition not looking up from his work. "Hey Kurosaki."  
>"Can I talk to you for a sec?"<br>Tōshirō looked up and faced him. "Sure."

Ichigo took a deep breath before sitting down next to Tōshirō. "I just wanted to say thank you."  
>"For?"<br>"Everything you've done for Karin. I'll admit it, I loathed the idea that you were so close to Karin, but after the last couple of months...It's obvious that you're not messing her around or anything." Tōshirō nodded politely and waited for Ichigo to continue. "You looked after her all this time, and you've tried to help her the entire time, and I really appreciate it. I would've preferred it if it was me, but if anything, you were better for the job."  
>"What? You're her brother."<br>"Her brother who left her to fight her own battles since the age of 10."  
>"You're not a bad brother Kurosaki. You were just stuck in unfortunate circumstances."<br>"Well whatever the case may be, I haven't been the best brother to her, and you always picked up the pieces. My instincts are telling me to hate you, but I can't. I gotta say, I can't really...think of a better guy for her."  
>"You rehearsed that didn't you?"<br>"Oi!"  
>"Relax Kurosaki, I really appreciate you telling me that. Thank you." Tōshirō smiled at Ichigo which proved to be contagious as he smiled too.<br>"Although I will say, I do not approve of public displays of affection."  
>Tōshirō nodded. "Fair enough."<p>

Eventually Karin had managed to fall asleep while meditating. Ichigo carefully picked her up and put her in her bed, making sure she was comfortable. "She must've been exhausted."  
>Rukia nodded while leaning on the door frame. "I'm not surprised, she's been up since half 3. That and half of Soul Society decided to come see her."<br>"Yeah...I didn't realise she knew so many people."  
>"Tell me about it." The two said their goodbyes to Tōshirō and went to their respective quarters.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Ukitake woke up the next morning in a good mood. He sighed happily as he sat up and looked outside his window. "It's such a beautiful day." He got out of bed, feeling better than most days. Deciding to take advantage of the great day and his good health he wanted to take a walk. After getting dressed and informing Unohana that he was going to be out and about today he called Kiyone and Sentarō so that the three could prepare themselves for the stroll. While he did feel a lot better today (he theorized that the good news and happiness yesterday had put him in a good mood, which often helped him to feel better,) his health could decrease pretty rapidly during the day so having his two third seats there just in case was a good idea.

After an hour or so Ukitake along with his two third seats were now slowly walking through the first district in East Rukongai, enjoying the change in scenery and the exercise, which was rare for Ukitake. He had always liked walking in the first couple of districts in Rukongai. There were always so many happy citizens and children around. Speaking of which, Ukitake had just felt a small bump into the back of his leg. Ukitake assumed that the child in question had simply misjudged the distance between the two of them. "Oh! You're not Oppa!" Ukitake turned round to face the little girl, who had already gotten herself up and was now staring curiously at him.

"Sorry, my name's not Oppa."  
>The little girl shook her head. "Oppa's not a name. It's a...a honny thing...um...you know when you can a friend chan? That thingy."<br>"An honorific?"  
>The little girl jumped up and down as she nodded causing Ukitake to smile. It was no secret that he had a soft spot for children. "That's right!"<br>Ukitake spoke with a kind smile. "Oppa isn't Japanese though, unless it's a modern word that I'm not aware of."  
>The little girl shook her head again. "Nu-uh. It's Korean! My Umma and Appa moved to Japan a year ago."<br>"I take it Umma and Appa mean mummy and daddy?" The little girl nodded again.  
>Ukitake crouched down to look at the little girl properly. "Hmmm...So, Umma, Appa and Oppa are all similar to honorifics. If Umma and Appa mean mummy and daddy, what does Oppa mean?"<br>"It means big brother, but you just call any older guy Oppa. Anyone you know anyway. Oppa looked after me after I died but before I came here. He had white hair like you."  
>"Oh I see! So you remember things from before you came here."<br>"Yep! Unnie and Oppa said they'd look for me when they can, and I said I'd look for them too."  
>"Unnie?"<br>"Older sister!"

Ukitake nodded and poked her nose lightly. "You're a smart one aren't you." The little girl grinned. "I'm surprised though. You don't get many humans with white hair."  
>"Oppa's like you! He wears the same clothes. Well not all the time. He wore those things sometimes."<br>Kiyone jumped into the conversation. "Captain, you don't think?"  
>Ukitake seemed to know what she was asking. "Maybe. So, did Oppa wear a coat like mine?" The little girl nodded. "Hmm...and did he have green eyes by any chance?"<br>The little girl gasped and jumped up and down excitedly. "How did you know!"  
>Ukitake paused for a moment to watch the little girl fiddle with her pocket, she seemed to be looking for something, before he continued with his questions. "And did Unnie have black hair?" The little girl nodded before pulling out a small piece of paper from her pocket and she handed it to Ukitake. "What's this?"<br>"It's Unnie and Oppa. Do you know them?"  
>Ukitake smiled at the photo. "I didn't know they looked after a little girl. How cute!" Both Kiyone and Sentarō agreed. "I can take you to Unnie and Oppa, let me just call someone first.<br>"Who are you calling Captain?"  
>Ukitake smiled at Sentarō before answering. "Captain Unohana. I'd like to get her permission before I bring a young child to her division." Both third seats nodded in understanding.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

The little girl, being rather young had gotten pretty tired on the way to the fourth division, meaning that Sentarō had to carry her on the last third of the journey. Unohana had of course agreed to a child in her division, being another captain who liked children. Her face visibly lit up when she saw the little girl. "Oh, she's cute. Let's just hope she's well behaved." Ukitake smiled and agreed. "So Captain Hitsugaya and Karin-kun looked after her? I never would've expected that."  
>"Me neither."<br>"Well I have work to attend to. I'm sure they'll both be happy to see her." Ukitake nodded and proceeded to the ward Karin and Tōshirō were currently residing in. He knocked on the door and waited for it to open. Karin had gotten to the door first and opened it, literally forming an 'o' shape with her mouth in shock after seeing the small child in Sentarō's arms. Karin practically squealed. "Yoona!" Karin took her off Sentarō's arms immediately, hugging her, causing Ukitake to grin at the quite frankly hear-warming reunion.

A voice from behind Karin made her turn around. "What's with all of the excite-oh!"  
>Karin grinned at him. "Look who Captain Ukitake found!" Tōshirō smiled at the now stirring Yoona.<br>Kiyone spoke in a happy voice. "You two are like parents! It's so cute!" Karin grinned wider while Tōshirō got a little embarrassed. Yoona shifted in Karin's arms, now waking up due to all of the noise around her. She looked around the room before recognising that she was being held, and she took another couple of moments to realise that Karin was the one holding her. "Unnie!" She wrapped her small arms around Karin tightly. She looked round again and realised that Tōshirō was behind her. "And Oppa too!" She leant forward to hug, forcing Karin to move backwards, towards Tōshirō so Yoona wouldn't fall out of her arms. Ukitake clapped his hands together. "My, you three are already like a family! I think my work here is done."  
>Yoona grinned at him. "Thank you Captain-chan!" Karin turned round to smile at him, while Tōshirō already was. Both of them said their thank yous and their goodbyes and watched the three members of the third squad leave, wishing them all good health.<br>"And you were complaining that things were boring."  
>Karin laughed. "Oh I know. Now I have training and little miss here to contend with."<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Due to Ukitake bringing back Yoona in the late morning it had given Tōshirō and Karin time to prepare for staying in the ward with them. It had honestly surprised Tōshirō how quickly Karin had managed to organise things. She had managed to acquire things like children's toothbrushes and children's bath stuff such as soft sponges and bath toys in such a short space of time. She had asked Ichigo to get some of her and Yuzu's old clothes that her dad had kept (He was way too sentimental in Karin's opinion.) Tōshirō walked into Karin's bedroom with what he assumed were pyjamas for Yoona. "I take it these were Yuzu's?"  
>Karin looked at the pink pyjamas in his hands, which were decorated with ducks and grinned, embarrassed. "Actually, they were mine."<br>Tōshirō looked at them again. "Seriously?"  
>Karin laughed and went back to helping Yoona brush her teeth and nodded. "Yep."<br>After making sure he teeth were properly brushed Karin helped Yoona get dressed in the pyjamas, who couldn't quite get the t-shirt on correctly. Tōshirō was watching from the doorway, practically in awe. "How can you do this so easily?"  
>Karin shrugged. "To me it is easy. Just blame my maternal instincts or something." Tōshirō rolled his eyes while smiling. Yoona ran up to him with a children's book in her hands. "Oppa! Can you read to me? Appa used to read to me at bed time."<br>Tōshirō looked at her and Karin in surprise. "You want me to read to you?"  
>"Uh-huh!"<br>"...Ok." Hesitantly he picked her up, walked over to Karin's bed and sat down. Yoona crawled out of his arms and got under the covers, eager to hear Tōshirō read. Karin grinned, watching for a bit, before going to dry the bathroom floor, Yoona had enjoyed the bath toys a lot and ended up splashing water everywhere.

While Karin was finishing putting Yoona to bed someone knocked on the door. Tōshirō went to answer it so Karin could continue. He opened the door, rather surprised by the visitor. "Captain Suì-Fēng?"  
>"Captain Hitsugaya. I assume Karin Kurosaki is here? I need to talk to her."<br>"Yes, she'll be out soon. What's this about?"  
>"I believe we may be able to kill Aizen for good very soon."<br>"Really? Has your group made progress then?"  
>"Yes, but our progress isn't the only thing that could help in this situation."<br>Tōshirō raised his eyebrow but Karin's voice prevented him from replying. "Oh Captain Suì-Fēng! What are you doing here?"  
>"I have something to discuss with you." Karin nodded and let her continue. "I think I have found a way of defeating Aizen for good, but it requires you to do something."<br>"What is it?"  
>"The other night, when Aizen attempted to get into your mind he seemed to change into a sleeping sort of state. Usually as he's immortal he doesn't really need to sleep but attacking you seems to take a lot of his energy."<br>"...So...You want me to let myself get attacked."  
>"Well, yes. We could station ourselves outside Aizen's cell and watch for when he attacks, as he doesn't do it every night. The second he goes into his idle state we could attack him and possibly deal with him for good."<p>

Karin sat down, thinking about the pros and cons, but Tōshirō had other ideas.  
>"Wait there's no way you're actually considering this. You're just gonna offer yourself up as bait."<br>Karin glared at him. "Shut up. This is my decision. I'm not the only one in danger of Aizen. Breaking through just one more layer of defence could allow him to reach out to other people and you know it. And besides, to get rid of Aizen for good?"  
>"But...It causes you so much pain."<br>Karin shrugged. "Pain is only temporary. Now that I have my memories back and my Zanpaktō it's not all that dangerous. I know how to deal with the situation, plus she looks after me and I know when I've hit my limit."  
>Suì-Fēng nodded in understanding. "I'm not asking you to lose your mind or sacrifice yourself. I'm just asking you to keep him busy while holding him off as long as you can."<br>Karin nodded, causing Tōshirō to sigh. "You're going to do it aren't you."  
>"...Yeah." After she saw Tōshirō's expression she continued speaking in a slightly raised voice. "Oh come on Tōsh! It's not gonna kill me. And it gets rid of Aizen." Tōshirō sighed heavily and nodded, showing that he agreed with ad respected her decision, despite how much he didn't like it. Suì-Fēng bowed slightly to Karin as a sign of respect. "Thank you Kurosaki." She nodded towards Tōshirō and left the ward, presumably to tell her group of the new plan.<p>

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><p><strong>(ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*:･ﾟ✧ BRING ON THE FLUFF. THIS CHAPTER, IT'S FILLED WITH THE STUFF. What can I say, I really enjoyed writing this chapter. ='D I hope you enjoyed reading it as much I enjoyed writing it ^^ The next chapter will probably be just as big (maybe bigger) than the next one with some exciting events, so I hope you'll look forward to it! =D<br>**


	13. Motherhood

**Gosh, I don't know what to say, I seriously cannot say sorry enough. I really didn't plan to take this long to update. I fell ill, kinda recovered went to school and fell ill again. To give you an idea I seriously struggled to read simple sentences so writing was out of the question. And school is super important at the moment, because if I fail my exams this year I can't get into a decent college (and therefore a decent university) so yeah, no pressure. XD The updates might slow down a bit now (Although saying that there will be another two chapters max) because school's started again. That and I've managed to get involved in performing an eight minute long dance mix. That'll be fun XD So yeah, I'm kinda stretched thin at the moment, but I don't wrap this story up by my half term break I deserve a slap XD So yeah, I really am sorry, and I do plan to finish the story kinda soon. I can't really give you a timescale as such though. Too many factors D: But anyway, onwords! (You know, this might be my longest chapter, although I'm not sure XD)  
><strong>

Review Replies:

**Bleached-Whale:** Oh yes yes, her Zanpakto is a light-based one! I will forever love Yoona, I want a kid like her ='D That's the thing with Karin I'm sure she could probably do well in most squads, she has always given me an impression of someone with a range of skills, so it's going to be hard to finally choose which one she'll go into (I think I've decided, but I'm not sure XD) If I do hint at any other pairings (I try my hardest not to because I don't want to put other people off or offend them with my choices XD They came to read HitsuKarin not another one, know what I mean? ^^;) it'll probably be IchiRuki. They just click if you ask me XD I'm glad you liked it so much but wow. You seriously excused yourself from your class to read it? I CANNOT EVEN. I don't know how to feel XD I hope you like this chapter, and I'm sorry for the long wait!  
><strong>Every shadow has its twin:<strong> I'm glad you liked the last chapter and I hop you enjoy this chapter too! Like I said, sorry about the wait ^^;  
><strong>Bara-san:<strong> Lord do I know that feeling. School's pretty tough on me at the moment. I hope you like this next chapter! Sorry for the wait!  
><strong>Nightsparrow15:<strong> I swear you and Bleached-Whale compete for writing the best reviews. I actually laughed out loud when I read that first line. Yeah, I don't like Aizen, he's rather sick. I was the same with my brothers XD I managed to get all three of them into anime ='D They really are easy to influence. I can't exactly say too much on the Aizen stuff, you'll just have to read! Ho crap. You found a trunk. Time to run! I hope yo ulike this chapter, and I'm sorry for the wait!  
><strong>Twistedkorn:<strong> I'm glad you liked the last chapter! I hope you enjoy this one too, sorry for the wait!

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><p><span>Chapter 13: Motherhood<span>

Tōshirō sighed, feeling a migraine coming on. Due to Karin wanting, and quite frankly needing to train he was currently looking after Yoona and he had seriously underestimated how much patience it took. Karin had gone to the training grounds before Yoona had even woken up so that left Tōshirō to deal with a lot. He had to sort out the bedsheets and Yoona because she had accidentally wet the bed, he had to cook her (and himself) breakfast which was difficult because Yoona wanted to touch _everything_ and now she had drawn on some of his paperwork, meaning that he would have to start _all over again._ Well ok, none of it was exactly her fault, considering how young she was. Tōshirō estimated that she was two, maybe three years old. Of course she didn't have complete control over her bladder, especially seeing as she was sleeping in a new room. That sort of thing unnerves a child. Wanting to touch everything? Again, of course she wants to, it's how a child learns. As for the paperwork, that was partly Tōshirō's fault. He asked her if she could entertain herself for a while to which she said yes. Next thing he saw was Yoona drawing on paper. Firstly, he left it lying around because he didn't think it would be an issue, and secondly, he didn't think about where she got the paper from, despite knowing at the back of his mind that his paperwork was the only paper in the ward. By the time Karin had come back from training Tōshirō felt like crawling into bed, truly exhausted.

"You look like hell."  
>"Rin, I feel like hell. How do you do it?"<br>Karin raised her eyebrow. "Do what?"  
>"Look after her so easily!"<br>Karin tried her hardest not to laugh. "Did you struggle that much?"  
>Tōshirō dead-panned. "Looking after a child is hard."<br>"Oh I don't deny that Tōsh...What's she drawing on?"  
>"My now useless paperwork." Karin laughed. "See it's stuff like this I'm talking about. I didn't even think about it, and yet you asked that question straight away."<p>

Karin lent against Tōshirō, her head resting on his shoulder. "Oh don't beat yourself up about it. Kids do this sort of thing. When Yuzu and I were younger we used to draw on the walls. My dad had to repaint our bedroom...Twice."  
>"You did not draw on the walls, you have got to be kidding me."<br>"I'm not!"  
>"Well...that makes this seem a little..."<br>"Easier to deal with?"  
>"Yeah."<br>Yoona ran up to both of them, rather excited. "Look look! Look what I drawed!"  
>Karin took the paper from Yoona while correcting her sentence. "You're supposed to say look what I drew...Oh this is sweet! Is this the three of us?"<br>Yoona nodded. "Uh-huh!" Tōshirō peered over her shoulder, looking at the drawing. He smiled at the paper. Karin took the drawing and set it on the table, planning on sticking it up somewhere later. "Unnie I'm tired!"  
>"Join the club Yoona."<br>Karin laughed at Tōshirō's response. "You should take a nap then. Both of you. I'm gonna go see Captain Unohana, she wants regular updates on my training and that sort of thing. Tōshirō nodded and waved her goodbye.

After Karin had talked to Unohana they decided to come back to the ward together, as the captain wanted to do a quick check up on Yoona while she wasn't busy. Karin gasped the second she walked into the main room, and started to speak in a quiet voice. "Oh wow. Oh my gosh, Captain do you have a camera? I actually _need_ proof that this happened." Karin and Unohana had managed to come across a very rare sight. Tōshirō was sprawled across the sofa, with a children's book on the floor and Yoona sleeping on top of him. Unohana was genuinely too shocked to do or say anything, although she didn't let it show. After not getting a response from Unohana Karin quietly walked over and picked Yoona up, intending to move the little girl into her bed. She knew that Tōshirō moved around in his sleep sometimes and if he wasn't careful Yoona could fall off. After she was safely in Karin's bed Unohana started to do a quick medical check, and after she found she was in good health she left.

Karin started to tidy up a bit in the main room, the chaos from this morning was obvious from the mess. She stopped briefly to look at Tōshirō. It was _so_ weird. She genuinely felt like a mother; the feeling had snuck up on her so quickly and quietly she hadn't noticed until she saw Yoona sleeping on Tōshirō. For some reason that image really drove it home. They were practically like a family, but it was really weird. Most people got really close, eventually got married and had children at some point later. They only met occasionally for a couple years, and then a couple of months ago they started living together. She shouldn't feel like they were a family, and yet after all the crap they went through, (well technically still going through) she really did feel like were a family. But was that wrong? She already had a family...or had she grown out of it? People grew up and left home, often to start their own family...Had she already started doing that? Karin had absolutely no idea, and she continued to clean, trying to push the migraine-inducing thoughts out of her head.

After half an hour or so, while Karin was cleaning the table, Tōshirō started to wake up, groaning slightly as his eyes tried to adjust to the light. "Ugh...Yoona?"  
>Karin answered while walking towards him. "I put her in my bed. Feel better now that you've had a nap?"<br>Tōshirō nodded groggily. "How did it go with Captain Unohana?"  
>Karin pushed Tōshirō's legs gently so he'd move them to let her sit down next to him. "Fine. She checked Yoona, and she's pretty much perfect...Although I should probably tell you...She kinda saw you sleeping with Yoona on you."<br>"Oh crap. I have a feeling a couple of certain shinigami are not gonna let that go..."  
>Karin smiled in amusement. "What could they possibly say? Being able to look after children is a good skill surely?"<br>"No no, it's not that. It's the fact that I'm looking after a kid with_ you_."  
>"Oh...<em>oh<em>. People still don't know we're...together."  
>"...Do <em>we<em> even know what our relationship is?"  
>Karin shook her head. "It's certainly complicated. With all of the crap we've gone through girlfriend and boyfriend seems so...not right."<br>"Too trivial."  
>"Exactly."<br>"Well...I say we get through all of this Aizen stuff, and then we think about it. Making sure you're safe is more important."  
>"Tōsh, I'll be fine."<br>"Just...make sure that you are ok? I already lost you once...I can't..." Karin nodded, understanding what he was getting at.

XxXxXxXxXxX

It had been over a week since it was decided that Karin would use herself to make Aizen weaker and still nothing. Karin could feel it coming closer though. At one point she theorized that there was a possibility that herself and Aizen had made some sort of mental connection, but she pushed the idea out of her head the second she thought of it, the theory disgusting her. Tōshirō, Karin and Yoona had managed to fall into a routine, finally being able to balance work, rest, training, play and teaching (Yoona). Well that routine worked when they didn't receive any visitors. It appeared that Rangiku had taken a real shine to Yoona and wanted to play with her as much as she could, which was great and all, but neither Tōshirō or Karin appreciated her being exceedingly drunk if she was going to be around Yoona all the time. Rangiku was a good person, but being drunk all the time? Not a good example.

At the moment Tōshirō was attempting to complete his paperwork but it proved to be difficult, as he was exhausted. He had found it difficult to sleep ever since Karin had chosen to offer herself as bait. He found himself listening closely at night, ready to react if Karin screamed, knowing from experience that if she was struggling that was her way of asking for help. Being on edge like that prevented him from sleeping properly, and he only ever managed a couple of hours if he was lucky. Karin walked into the main room where Tōshirō was, wearing her pyjamas. Tōshirō looked up and smiled sadly. The worry in his eyes did not go unnoticed by Karin. "Tōsh. I told you I'll be fine."

Tōshirō nodded, not looking up, fearing he'll have some sort of breakdown if he dared look at her face. He had a bad feeling about tonight. "I know...I'm sure you will be. I'm just...scared."  
>Karin leant against Tōshirō, resting her head on his shoulder. "Don't worry Tōsh. I'll still be here and myself tomorrow morning. I promise you."<br>Tōshirō finally willed himself to look at her. "You can feel it too."  
>Karin nodded. "Yeah...I think it's gonna happen tonight."<br>Tōshirō sent a quick message to Suì-Fēng before turning his attention back to Karin. "You'll be ok."  
>Karin could tell he was trying to convince himself more than anything else and she wove her fingers into his. "I know I will be." She shifted slightly so she could kiss him gently on the lips. A smile threatened to break out at the gesture. Before they knew it the pair of them had fallen asleep, both of them being exhausted, with Tōshirō's arms around Karin, similar positions to when he fell asleep with Yoona.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Suì-Fēng was grateful to Tōshirō warning her beforehand. According to his message both Karin and himself thought it would be today, which gave the group an advantage, being able to surround Aizen's cell, patiently waiting for him to slip into a less concious state. They were able to hide themselves, so Aizen couldn't tell that they were planning to ambush him. The entire group felt tense, knowing full well that this could be the night Aizen is finally defeated, by their hands no less. Renji had a slight look of nervousness, but it was overshadowed by his determination. Ikkaku and Kenpachi looked bored out of their minds, the two of them wanting to go into his cell already, but understanding how stupid that course of action would be. The rest of the group simply looked indifferent, all of them masking their emotions completely.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin was sitting up on the crescent moon with her Zanpaktō looking down on her inner world. No matter how you looked at it, it was beautiful. She idly wondered how she could have such a place of beauty inside her. When Karin noticed how tense her Zanpaktō was she rolled her eyes. "Trust me, when he attacks I'll be sure to let you know."  
>Her Zanpaktō didn't seem all too pleased with her attitude. "What is wrong with you? You do realise what's going to happen? It caused you agony last time. How can you possibly not care?"<br>Karin sighed heavily before answering. "I have to. If I get myself all worked up and worried I'll end up bailing the second he attacks. I'm not like Ichigo who can just charge at anything at succeed. I gotta think about things, and I have stay strong. It's not an automatic thing like his seems to be."  
>"Are you seriously beating yourself up because your brother seems to be able to gain power at the snap of his fingers and you can't?"<br>"...A little. It's annoying! Why do I have to work to get things? I suppose it's just typical sibling rivalry stuff. I mean, Yuzu's always been content staying at the back doing her own thing, but Ichigo and I have always fought."  
>Her Zanpaktō smiled slightly. "Karin, thinking about things, working hard to get them, everything that you are will make you a better fighter than him."<br>"Huh? But he's ridiculously good."  
>"No. He's ridiculously powerful. Have you ever noticed it in training? He causes more destruction, but you defeat the opponent quicker because you think about things and plan. Yes he will probably always be able to defeat you if he wanted to, but that doesn't make him a better fighter. Your fighting styles are completely different, so it's hard to compare the two."<p>

Karin nodded slowly while thinking. "I guess you're right. Our fighting styles _are_ completely different. I'm not all that good with a sword."  
>"Well that's what training is for. Besides you've been using hand to hand combat for years now. I believe I'm correct in saying it's your preferred method of combat?"<br>Karin nodded. "It's easier. It comes more naturally to me."  
>"I'm not surprised. Like I already said, you've been fighting hand to hand for years, it will come naturally to you. It's going to take a little while for you to get used to that sudden extension on your arm. Usually your hand is what makes contact with your opponent, and all of a sudden the thing that makes contact is what, a metre away? You'll get there."<br>"Thanks for having faith in me."  
>Her Zanpaktō smiled at her like a mother would smile at her child. "Honey, how could I not have faith in you. You're a very strong person."<br>"No I'm not."  
>Her Zanpaktō sighed. "I don't understand all these people who say you're like your brother. The two of you are very different. He's cocky, and you have no self confidence."<br>"If I was stronger Aizen wouldn't have been able to screw with my head in the first place."  
>"Ok now you're being stupid. No one can really stand up to Aizen properly. Besides it didn't bother you this much before. What's changed? Why are you suddenly so worried about being strong?"<p>

Karin jumped down from the moon and walked over to the clearing with a lake before sitting down again. "It's nothing."  
>Her Zanpaktō rolled her eyes before joining her. She put her hand on Karin's shoulder. "Honey, if you can't tell me who can you tell? I'm the one who understands you the most."<br>"Except maybe Tōshirō."  
>A quiet laugh escaped from the Zanpaktō's lips. "Indeed. So what's up?"<br>"It's just...I was thinking the other day. I was thinking about what would happen if I actually lost control and Aizen took over." After her Zanpaktō visibly tensed Karin reassured her. "I'm not going to let that happen. It's just...well if it did, Tōshirō would survive. I know it would hurt a lot at first, but I have no doubt that he would pick himself up, dust himself off and continue to get stronger and look after Yoona. I don't think I could do that if it was the other way round."

Karin's Zanpaktō had listened quietly the whole time, which Karin was grateful for. "Oh you silly thing." Before Karin could respond her Zanpaktō pulled her into a gentle hug. "I don't doubt that Tōshirō would be able to move on either, but trust me when I say it would take him decades. I've seen the way he looks at you, there is nothing but love and admiration for you. I also don't doubt that you would move on eventually too if something were to happen to him. I've already told you that you're strong. I'm proud to have you as my wielder. If nothing else the need to look after Yoona would allow you to carry on. You're a good mother."  
>Karin looked up at her Zanpaktō in surprise. "I'm not a mother."<br>"You're as good as." Karin stayed silent so her Zanpaktō continued. "You look after her like an expert. You can balance work and her so well already. Although I don't know if that would be more difficult when you get more children."  
>Karin honestly had to stop herself from choking on her own saliva. "More?"<br>Her Zanpaktō couldn't help but grin at the reaction. "Of course. Think about it Karin. You want children, Tōshirō told you that he wanted children, so surely you're going to have children in the future."  
>"I...I haven't really thought about it..."<br>Her Zanpaktō smirked. "Yes you have. There's no point lying to me."

Karin's cheeks started to turn red. "Ok so maybe I have. But...that's not gonna be for ages. Years in fact."  
>"You sure?"<br>Karin turned redder. "Of course! Besides..."  
>"Besides what?"<br>"It's...It's not like we've gone any further...than kissing" Karin mumbled the last part, causing her Zanpaktō to smile. She thought is was adorable that she was this shy about such matters.  
>Karin's Zanpaktō spoke a littler quieter, even though they were obviously alone. "And just how long is that going to last?" Karin, now bright red, glared at her Zanpaktō, which caused her to laugh. "Gosh you're so easy to mess with!"<br>Karin huffed. "You're an awful woman you know that?"  
>Her Zanpaktō laughed harder for a short while before stopping abruptly. She sighed.<br>"What's wrong? Is he here?"  
>Her Zanpaktō nodded. "He's approaching. Prepare yourself." Karin nodded, her eyes full of determination.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

The group of shinigami watched Aizen carefully (well, some more than others) and had felt like giving up until they noticed his blinking had slowed. Every time he closed his eyes they stayed closed longer than the last time. The group waited for Aizen's eyes to close more permanently, somewhat eager to get this over with. Eventually after a good 10 minutes Aizen showed no sign of opening his eyes again for a while. Carefully and quietly they removed the defences around him and slipped into the room and put the defences back up again as quickly as they could, knowing full well that the longer they left the defences down the more vulnerable Karin would be. The group moved around the cell so that they were surrounding Aizen at vaguely equal distances, with Kenpachi and Renji near the front of him.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Unfortunately removing and replacing the defences around Aizen was no quick task, or at least it certainly didn't feel like it to Karin. It was taking all of her strength not to cry out. She was seriously struggling and her Zanpaktō could only do so much without forcing her to scream, an action she knew Karin didn't want to do yet. She had started rubbing comforting circles in her back, staying close to her to let her know that her Zanpaktō was there to help her the entire time. While Karin would never admit it, she absolutely hated being alone. She always liked having someone around. Karin had honestly only ever been alone at the start of her first year in middle school. The school thought that there was a possibility that the twins could distract each other or argue with each other in class so they separated them into two different ones. Karin had found the first couple of weeks absolutely dreadful before her new found friendships had developed to a point where she could trust them properly. Just knowing her Zanpaktō was there helped Karin out a lot.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō had been woken suddenly and it took him a second to figure out what was going on. Karin and himself had fallen asleep together, Karin on top of him, who was now thrashing like a fish out of water. It took all of his self control not to force her to wake up, but he knew that wasn't what she wanted. He held her tightly around her waist and sat up, making her sit up too. He held her tightly, making sure she didn't fall off the sofa or damage her neck. He positioned Karin so she was sitting on his lap, her neck being supported by his right collarbone and he started playing with her hair gently. Tōshirō knew from watching the occasional family arguments that the best way to calm Karin down was to mess around with her hair. Whenever Karin was particularly wound up, usually caused by her father's immaturity, Yuzu played with and styled Karin's hair, and more often then not it calmed her down. After a short while of doing this Karin's movement had lessened, but she was still thrashing.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Kenpachi and Renji were standing near to Aizen, ready to strike on the second squad captain's mark. Kenpachi wasn't one for waiting on other's orders but he understand the importance of this mission. He'd die before he let anyone know it, but he was worried. It wasn't like Karin was weak. If Aizen had gotten it into his head that younger girls were the easiest to attack what was to stop him from attacking Yachiru? She was strong, but she still had a child's mind, he wondered if she would even notice if he tried anything before it was too late. It was disgusting in Kenpachi's opinion. While he didn't look like it, there were some actions and behaviour that he simply didn't care for. Rape and torture were actually pretty high on his list. He didn't care about gender, appearance, personality or whatever else you could think of. He just cared about strength. There was something about deliberately searching to find a young woman to use that he simply did not condone. He briefly wondered if it was from looking after Yachiru, he had seen her discriminated against purely because she was female, before pushing those thoughts to the back of his mind, they were things to think about when he wasn't busy.

It was lucky that Kenpachi had started paying attention when he did, otherwise he could've easily missed Suì-Fēng's gesture. Quicker than most shinigami could even blink he rushed forward and sliced through Aizen vertically, although not quite all the way. The action had caused Aizen to withdraw from Karin's mind to try and heal himself. Renji, already having released his shikai, lunged forward, extending his Zanpaktō. Due to Zabimaru's abilities it was easy for Renji to latch onto Aizen's heart and yank it out of his body, causing him to scream in pain. After half an hour Aizen's body had managed to fuse itself back together, but without his heart he died every 2 seconds. The group worked quickly, slicing his body into further pieces, each member of the group going to bury their body piece miles away from any other piece.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō almost had a heart attack when Karin suddenly stopped moving. If it wasn't for the fact that he could see her chest moving up and down he would've thought she was dead. He had to take several deep breaths before he dared to do anything. Half scared out of his mind he shook her lightly. She was either under Aizen's control or completely free from him, and he was terrified to find out which. He took another deep breath before shaking her again, harder this time. When she startled to mumble Tōshirō found that he actually had to _tell _his body to breathe. Nervously he spoke. "What did you say Rin?"

She opened her eyes a fraction and glared at the man she was lying on. "I said, if you dare to shake me again, I will tell Rangiku where you've been hiding her sake from her." Karin couldn't help but smile when she heard Tōshirō's huge sigh of relief. "I told you I'd be fine. Now shut up and let me sleep, I'm exhausted and I have a headache." After that Tōshirō fell asleep pretty quickly, with a smile on his face. Karin had woken as herself and she hadn't screamed, that could only mean that Aizen was finally defeated.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō woke up to the smell of breakfast. He was half asleep until a certain little girl decided to jump on his stomach. "Ugh. Really Yoona? _Really?_" Karin's laughter grabbed his attention. He had honestly thought he had lost her for a moment and after seeing her this morning all he wanted to do was to hold her tight and never let go. Just when Tōshirō thought he understood Karin's sheer amount of beauty all she did was grin at him and he felt himself go weak. He couldn't help but practically gawk at her. He hadn't seen her so happy in months and she was celebrating her happiness with her appearance, although she may not have noticed.

For the first time in years she was wearing a dress, which reached the middle of her thighs, the rest of her thigh was covered with white leggings which contrasted beautifully with her midnight blue dress. When he studied her hair he suddenly realised that she usually styled it. He had always thought she naturally had straight hair, but she had left her hair alone this morning and it's wavy style looked way more natural then her straight hair. Tōshirō smiled to himself. She always said that she took after her father, but he had to disagree. Because Karin had been so busy her hair had been neglected so it had grown from her normal mid-back length to lower down her back. Except for the fact that Karin's hair was black she was pretty much the spitting image of her mother.

While they were in the middle of breakfast they were visited by Unohana, who couldn't resist smiling at the scene. Not only did Yoona have food in her hair, so did Tōshirō who must have been helping her to eat while Karin had gone to answer the door. It wouldn't surprise Unohana if Yoona had managed to get more food on her than in her. "I see she's not too skilled in eating messier foods yet?"  
>Tōshirō sighed in slight embarrassment. "Quite."<br>Karin laughed. "Maybe we shouldn't let her feed herself yet? At least not when it comes to runny food."  
>Unohana answered Karin's questions. "I wouldn't do that. She does need to learn after all."<br>Karin sighed. "I suppose that's true. Looking after a kid is messy."

Unohana nodded in agreement. "Well I'm glad to see you're all in high spirits. Can I assume that you know what happened last night?" Karin and Tōshirō nodded, Yoona after seeing what her caretakers were doing also nodded, earning a wider smile from Unohana. "Yes well, if you don't mind I'd like to perform a couple of quick tests to make sure you're completely ok Karin."  
>"Oh sure!" Karin got up from her seat and followed Unohana out of the ward.<br>Tōshirō sighed and he continued to try and get food _in_ Yoona. "She left me alone with you again. I swear one of these days she's going to come back to utter destruction."  
>"Hey Oppa! I'm not that bad!"<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

The 'couple of quick tests' took a lot longer than Unohana had implied. 5 hours later Karin was finally allowed to go back to the ward, but not before Unohana had told her she is now free to go where she wants. Karin couldn't help but think that was her subtle way of asking her to move out, but she couldn't blame the captain. It was weird though. She had gotten so used to living with Tōshirō that the idea of going back to live with her family seemed weird. But then, where else was she supposed to go?

Karin entered the ward to find Ichigo, Rukia and Renji had come to visit. All three of the shinigami greeted her with smiles. "Hey guys!"  
>Ichigo raised an eyebrow. "You're wearing a dress?"<br>"Hey I wear what I want."  
>Ichigo grinned, Karin was completely back to normal and free again. "Fair enough." Renji spoke up. "So, how do you feel?"<br>"More relieved than anything else to be honest. Thanks for helping out and stuff."  
>Renji grinned. "Hey, just doing my job. Captain Commander's orders!"<br>Rukia rolled her eyes. "Yes because you've always followed his orders so dutifully."  
>"Yes, because you're one to talk."<br>"Touché."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin sighed happily and she let herself fall back onto the grass. Tōshirō and Rukia was looking after Yoona inside, while Renji had to go. Karin wouldn't be surprised if he was off to start partying. A lot of the shinigami were. Ichigo sat down next to her and put a hand on her shoulder to make sure she knew he was there. "Hey."  
>"Hey Ichi-nii."<br>"So...you can go where you want now. I take it you're planning on moving out of the ward soon?"  
>"Definitely. I feel bad for staying here so long. It's not even our ward, it's Captain Ukitake's.<br>Ichigo nodded. "True. So where are you going?"  
>"Huh? I don't really have a choice do I? I'm just gonna go back home with Dad and Yuzu."<p>

Ichigo nodded again while scratching the back of his head. He sighed heavily, not believing he was actually going to do this. "It's just, I've been thinking. I don't think it would be good for Yoona if you...lived separate from Tōshirō, it would be like you''re a divorced couple or something. I mean, I'm not saying that kids whose parents have separated turn out worse or anything, there are plenty of great kids in those situations I just think it would be more beneficial if-"  
>Karin interrupted him. "Stop rambling you awkward, awkward man. Is this your way of giving me permission to live with Tōsh if I choose."<br>Ichigo sighed again. "...No. This isn't me giving you permission...You don't need to ask for permission. You're 15 now. At that age, I pretty much invaded Soul Society, tore it up a lot to get Rukia, then ended up invading Hueco Mundo, tore that place up a lot to get Inoue. I did want I wanted and what I felt was right. And...To be honest, I think you've been more than capable of doing that for a couple years now. I'm not giving you permission. I suppose this is me giving you my blessing."  
>Karin grinned before hugging Ichigo tightly and speaking in a joking sort of tone. "And there was me thinking you'd never let me go!"<br>Ichigo returned the hug and the tone of voice. "Yeah well, if Dad found out that _I _was the person who stopped you from having a boyfriend then he'd skin me alive."  
>Karin withdrew herself from the hug to look up at Ichigo. "That's a good point, Dad and Yuzu haven't met Yoona yet."<br>"Yeah well when you do take her to meet them give the poor girl ear plugs. Yuzu will squeal knowing her."  
>Karin laughed. "I'll keep that in mind."<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō had his hands behind his head acting like a pillow while he was lying on the sofa. After all of the excitement of the day he was well and truly spent. Karin, knowing that he wasn't asleep, practically jumped onto his lap, earning a groan from him. "At least warn me next time."  
>"Oh please, you could've stopped me if you wanted to."<br>Tōshirō shifted so he was a little more upright. "So how are you? Tired?"  
>"I'm exhausted. You?"<br>"Same."  
>They stayed like that in comfortable silence for a couple of minutes before Karin built up the nerve to speak. "We should probably move out of here soon, now that I can go anywhere again."<br>Tōshirō nodded. "I take it you're gonna go back to your family?"  
>"You sound depressed."<br>"What? No, no. It's just-"  
>"Tōsh?"<p>

Tōshirō was kind of glad that she interrupted him. "Yeah?"  
>"Ichigo suggested something earlier. Well, more like hinted."<br>"What?"  
>"Well he said it wouldn't do Yoona any good if we were separated, and let's face it, it's gonna be difficult for me to balance training and Yoona on my own and it would be difficult for you to balance her and work and-"<br>"You know, both you and your brother ramble when you're nervous."  
>"Oh shut up."<br>"Rin?"  
>"Yeah?"<br>"Do you want to...Live together? Well, continue living together?"  
>"...Yes."<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

It had been a couple days since Aizen had been defeated and pretty much every shinigami was still celebrating. Tōshirō had gone off to visit Hinamori while Karin and Yoona had gone back to Karin's family's house to start packing up her stuff. Karin didn't know how her father and Yuzu would react, but both of them were absolutely overjoyed. Turns out that Yuzu had been rooting for the two of them to get together for years now and her dad? He seriously could not be happier and was already requesting grandchildren. Currently he was playing around with Yoona, who according to him, was his first grandchild. Yuzu was helping Karin to organise her stuff, ready to pack up. Karin had to hand it to her, while Yuzu hadn't exactly become the strongest woman she knew, she was certainly getting there. She wasn't easy to mess with any more and she hadn't threatened to cry or anything of the sort when Karin told her she wasn't really coming back, which is what Karin expected. Both twins were proud of the other.

By the end of the day they had managed to sort out under half of Karin's stuff which was impressive considering how sentimental they got over certain objects. Karin swore they spent more time reminiscing rather than working. Yuzu left Karin's bedroom to start cooking dinner. Karin was finishing packing up another box when Isshin knocked on her open bedroom door. "Hey Karin."  
>Karin looked up with a smile. "Hey Dad. Where's Yoona?"<br>"Asleep on the sofa."  
>"She didn't give you any trouble did she?"<br>Isshin grinned. "No, she's an angel, cheeky, but still an angel. Reminds me of a certain someone!"  
>Karin laughed. "I wasn't that bad!"<br>"Sure you weren't."

Karin smiled and gestured for her father to sit down on the bed next to her, glad that he wasn't in one of his ridiculous moods. "So Dad, now that Yuzu and Yoona aren't here, how do you really feel about me moving in with Tōshirō?"  
>"Are you kidding me? I honestly couldn't be happier. When you first told me this morning I was a little sceptical, but during today you removed my scepticism."<br>"How?"  
>"Let me put it this way, when you left this house to live in the human world I still saw you as a child, but obviously I wanted you to stay safe so I let you go with Tōshirō. But now? There's no way I could think of you as a child any more. You've grown up a lot since then."<br>"I...Hadn't noticed."  
>"Well you wouldn't. Often you'd get a little worked up or irritated if I act too silly, but you stayed calm the entire day and the way you look after Yoona, to me, it's obvious that you've grown up."<p>

Karin nodded slowly taking in this new information. She honestly hadn't noticed, she was too busy trying to do everything else. Her thoughts were interrupted by Isshin speaking again. "Say Karin, why have you stopped straightening your hair?"  
>"Oh, it's nothing. It's a stupid reason really. You'll think I'm silly."<br>"I doubt that."  
>Karin sighed. "...Well, do you remember that day years ago when we went up into the attic to try and find Ichigo's old bike so I could use it? The day when we ended up looking at old photos more than anything else and we found those old photos of mum?"<br>"The ones where she's what 16, 17?"  
>"Yeah."<br>"I remember."  
>"That wasn't too long after mum had died, and I remember being really happy that I had inherited something from her, because I had straight hair too, or at least that's what I remember thinking. I asked you why her hair was straight back then and you told me that she styled it in a way while she was drying it that it went straight, but after she gave birth to Ichigo she didn't have time to do that any more so she always left her hair wavy after that."<br>"Yes, I remember."

"Well back then I always wanted to be like mum, so I decided that I would keep my hair straight until I was a mother, although I had forgotten about that until recently. When he hair started to go a bit wavy if felt wrong so I straightened it instead. A couple days ago it kinda just hit me that I feel like a mother now, because of Yoona and...Ugh I don't know how to explain it...I guess I must've linked wavy hair with motherhood or something when I was little because now I can look in the mirror and my wavy doesn't look weird any more."  
>Isshin smiled. "That's not silly. Strange, but not silly. I don't think you realise, you take after her in a lot of ways."<br>"Really?"  
>"Yep, you didn't know her when she was younger but I certainly did! You're actually pretty similar. Now, why don't we go help Yuzu with dinner and wake Yoona up so she can eat?"<br>Karin grinned and got up from the bed. "Dad?"  
>"Yes?"<br>"Thanks."  
>"For what?"<br>"Just...Thanks." Isshin smiled at her before going down the stairs.

XxXxXxXxXxX

While it probably would've been easier to just stay at her family's house, Karin wanted Yoona to get familiar with Tōshirō's house so, with Yoona in her arms, she shunpoed towards his office. Shunpo was a skill Karin had managed to pick up quickly; she imagined it was due to the fact that she had spent half her life running. In the second Karin had entered Tōshirō's office she almost dropped Yoona. "Oh my god. What on earth happened here?"  
>Tōshirō's voice made her jump. "Matsumoto. Need I say more?"<br>"I agree that Aizen's defeat is a cause for celebration but holy s-"  
>"Yoona's here"<br>"Sugar canes. Yes. Holy sugar canes." Tōshirō raised his eyebrow. "Don't look at me like that! Seriously, how even?"  
>"Never underestimate my Vice-Captain."<p>

Karin had to tread carefully to get any where near Tōshirō's desk, the entire office was a tip and she didn't really feel like tripping over empty bottles of sake. "Does she usually use your office as a place to party?"  
>"She's been known to do it before. But never as bad as this."<br>Karin sighed. "Well it's late, you don't wanna start on this now, besides I want Yoona to explore your house."  
>"<em>Our<em> house."  
>Karin couldn't help but grin. "Oh yeah. Our house. Have you even eaten yet?"<br>Tōshirō shook his head. "Haven't had the chance yet, and I'm not gonna have any decent food in the house seeing as I haven't been there in ages."  
>Karin nodded while lifting Yoona higher on her body, she kept trying to slip down, but Karin didn't want to put her down when there could be broken glass <em>anywhere<em>. "Ok, we'll go to your-I mean our house and get ourselves settled while you get yourself some food."  
>"Rin, don't worry about it, I'll survive. Besides do you even know where the house is?"<br>"It can't be too far, I was under the impression that the Captains tend to live pretty near to their office."  
>"It's about a five minute walk."<br>"So take us there, let us get in the house and then you can go off and get food. I'm not letting you miss a meal, now stop being a pain."

Tōshirō sighed, knowing that Karin wasn't giving him a choice in the matter. He took Karin and Yoona to the house and left to get food for him and breakfast for tomorrow. Karin was slightly surprised when she walked into the house. It wasn't huge, but it certainly wasn't small. It was probably bigger than her family's house. Except for the layer of dust that was everywhere, everything seemed to be immaculate. Karin looked at the now sleeping girl in her arms. _'That's not gonna last long.'_ Karin walked up the stairs to find a bed before she did anything else.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin looked round the house in complete fascination. She had never set a foot here before, and it was gorgeous to say the least. The large living room was a strange shade of cream which made the entire room feel open with matching carpet. The room had a couple of deep brown, barely used shelves and two chocolate brown sofas. Karin frowned slightly and she walked into the kitchen. It was a nice shade of yellow, and again the room had a nice sort of welcoming feel to it, but it was bare apart from the cupboards and the table. She stuck her head round the corner of another room which was just a study, full of files and such. Not really being interested in his study Karin walked up the stairs for a second time that evening. Karin was slightly surprised to learn that the house had two bedrooms but she supposed that previous captains had preferred it that way.

Karin had already seen the smaller of the two, it was the one she had put Yoona in. It had a double bed, but it didn't have much else except for a desk that could pass as a table. Three of the walls were cream but the fourth was a deep purple. Karin took a quick glance at the bathroom, which was typically blue. Karin stared in awe for a moment, it was huge. There was light-coloured laminate flooring instead of carpet, a bathtub large enough to fit at least 4 people, a shower and expensive looking white towels. While Karin was walking to the biggest bedroom, which she assumed to be Tōshirō's, it dawned on her how much money Tōshirō must make from being a captain. He had never given her a rich person sort of impression, so she had never thought about it before, but logically Tōshirō must get paid a hell of a lot for being a captain.

Karin gasped when she entered the main bedroom. It was huge. She guessed it was the same size, or maybe a little smaller, than the living room. Again instead of carpet there was laminate flooring only this time it was a dark colour. Somewhat similar to the other bedroom three of the walls were a light colour (blue) while the fourth was a darker blue. Karin didn't know how big the bed was, but it was certainly bigger than a double. The bed was pushed up against the wall, leaving a large space in the middle which had a white rug on it. She walked over to the bedside table where there was two framed photos. The first one had two photos in, one of them was a photo of Hinamori and Rangiku, and the other one was a photo of a very young, reluctant looking Tōshirō who was being hugged by a young looking Hinamori, with an old woman, who Karin assumed was Tōshirō's grandmother smiling at the back. 'So cute...' Karin picked up the second frame, surprised with what she saw. It was a photo of her wearing a yukata, probably taken at the last Tanabata festival, the one what took place about a month or so before they left. She wasn't looking at the camera, she was just looking like she was having a good time, she had a natural grin on her face.

It was obvious that he had moved the photo of Rangiku and Hinamori so it would share the larger frame to give the photo of her it's own frame. Karin wasn't sure why but that simple gesture almost made her heart melt. She put the frame back in its place and sat down gently on the bed, not sure what to do with herself. She was about to get up again when a pair of arms wrapped round her. "Hey."  
>"Fuck Tōsh. You scared me."<br>Tōshirō smirked and moved to sit next to Karin. "I assume Yoona's asleep?"  
>"Yeah I stuck her in the other room. You've eaten now right?" Tōshirō nodded. "What do you wanna do now?"<br>"There's something we can do?"  
>"This house is dusty as hell, it wouldn't be a bad idea to clean it, especially if Yoona and I are moving in soon."<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin collapsed onto one of the sofas, utterly spent. She had managed to vacuum all of the downstairs rooms while Tōshirō was working on organising the house for two extra people, most of the working having to be done in the kitchen. After 5 minutes or so Tōshirō lied down on the other sofa, greeting Karin as he did. Karin sighed heavily. "And to think we have to do this regularly. How did you manage it before you half moved out?"  
>"I didn't really. I paid someone else to clean it for me."<br>"Fuck, how much money do you earn!"  
>"Enough."<br>"I'll say. I don't get why you don't have more things though."  
>Tōshirō's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What do you mean?"<br>"Well you earn more than enough, but you don't really have many belongings."  
>"I never have time for anything."<p>

Karin sat up, half glaring at Tōshirō, half pitying him. "Except you do. If you didn't, you wouldn't be able to spend time with me, or look after Yoona while being employed which you have done this entire time, and you get all of your paperwork submitted by the deadlines, so lack of time is not the issue...Did you seriously just lack interest?" Tōshirō shifted uncomfortably. "Seriously? People told me that you were an ice cold person that didn't do anything but work, but seriously?"  
>Tōshirō sat up and looked at Karin, despite how uncomfortable he felt. "Well...Yeah. Rin, I've told you about my past. After all of the times I screwed up I just buried myself in work or training to distract myself from those times. And...I didn't feel like I should be...having fun."<br>Karin got up from her seat and punched Tōshirō in the arm. Tōshirō knew full well she was holding back but it still hurt like hell. "Tōsh, you're an idiot. None of those were your fault, anyone will tell you that. Just because you've made a couple of mistakes, just like everybody else has, doesn't mean you shouldn't have fun. Intelligence-wise, you're a fucking legend, emotion-wise? You're a complete idiot."

Tōshirō sighed heavily. "I know. Luckily I have you to hit me when I'm being an idiot."  
>Karin raised an eyebrow. "That is not what I am here for."<br>"I know, it's a bonus. Rin, you don't realise how lucky I feel. I have no idea what I did to deserve you. I'm not that cold person any more, and it's all because of you. If I hadn't met you I'd probably still be that cold person."  
>"Tch. Talk about cheesy. I know you aren't like that any more, if anything I probably know that best, it's just...when I walked into this house I realised just how bare it was. All you have is necessities. All work and no play is not good for a person. It probably contributed to your lack of height. Well, when you know, you were smaller than me."<br>"You're actually just worried about me aren't you?"  
>"Well yeah...and..."<br>"And?"  
>"I'm little edgy."<br>"Care to enlighten me? Why?"

"Renji came to see me earlier, just a brief meeting. He said that with a little training I could be given a seat in one of the squads."  
>"That's great! Why does that make you edgy?"<br>Karin heavily sighed before she sat down next to Tōshirō. "Because I don't want to do it like that."  
>"What do you mean?"<br>"I don't want to go straight into the seated positions in a squad just because I happen to be a Kurosaki."  
>"I doubt that's the only reason."<br>"But it's a lot of it. I don't want to get special treatment just because I was born in the family I was. I said I wanted to become a shinigami properly, and that's what I'm gonna do."  
>Tōshirō sighed and nodded, knowing what she wanted to do. "You want to enrol into the academy."<br>"Basically."  
>Tōshirō sighed again and leaned back onto the sofa. "That can't be that hard to manage. I doubt you'll be there for very long. It'll probably take you a couple months at most considering your previous experience."<br>"What about Yoona?"  
>"I'll manage. I'm sure certain people wouldn't mind helping out, your sister would be a good choice."<p>

Karin smiled and leant against Tōshirō. "Thank you."  
>"For what?"<br>"Letting me go to the academy."  
>"I don't have to give you permission for you to go. If you want to go nothing's gonna stop you."<br>"I'm not so sure any more."  
>"Huh?"<br>"If Yoona asked me not to go and you didn't quite support me, I don't think I'd be able to go."  
>"I'm always going to support you."<br>"I know, it's just that I know how easy it would be to ask me to stay, especially if you consider Yoona."  
>"I know what you mean, but I know you want to do this, so I'm not gonna stop you."<br>"And that's what I'm thanking you for!"  
>"Oh I see."<br>"You're being a little slow. Then again, it's late."  
>Tōshirō got up and stretched. "You bring up a good point. I'm going to bed. Are you coming too or?"<p>

Karin raised an eyebrow. "I'm tired and there's nothing to do. So yeah, time for bed." When they were walking up the stairs Karin suddenly figured out that she had no idea which bed she was sleeping in. While she liked sleeping in the same bed as Yoona, she couldn't sleep in the same bed as Karin forever, and a new start like moving house would probably be a good opportunity to start weaning her off that night time support. And to be honest, she kinda wanted to sleep in the same bed as Tōshirō. As cliché as it was, he made her feel safer. But she couldn't just invite herself to his bed. Luckily her prayers were answered when they had reached the top of the stairs. Rather awkwardly, Tōshirō asked which room she wanted to sleep in, and apparently her face must've given it away. He gestured her to go into the main bedroom to change while he went to the bathroom.

Karin sighed slightly while folding her clothes. She wanted to go to the academy, and she had already decided that she was going, in a couple days too (there was no point delaying it) and she had no idea how she was going to tell Yoona. Not to mention it kind of annoyed her that the second she got settled here she'd be off again. Her thoughts were interrupted by Tōshirō knocking on the door, asking if it was safe to go in. That was another thing. She didn't feel any pressure from Tōshirō to do anything, he let her do what she wanted. Even in middle school she remembered the guys making the occasional vulgar joke about sex and such things. She always felt uncomfortable back then. These days things like that didn't bother her, but the thought of sex with Tōshirō made her a little nervous, but he didn't care. She doubted he was anywhere near that point though, when she thought about it. She really did feel safe around him. Tōshirō closed the bedroom door behind him, offered Karin a smile and got into the bed. He closed his eyes and waited for Karin to finish folding her clothes and get into the bed so he could turn the light off. Truth be told, he was absolutely exhausted.

* * *

><p><strong>I can't really say much about this to be honest, it took me ages to write this so I kinda just wanted to get it posted. XD Have you ever done that thing where you end up spending weeks on something like a project and you just want to get it done and out of the way? I hope that made sense XD And I seriously hope that this chapter turned out ok. I wanted to write about Aizen's death in more detail, but I dunno I couldn't quite bring myself to do it. I don't think I can write such gruesome things in detail XD I also wanted to write Ichigo in a different way to other people. A lot of writers have him react like an idiot (well he kinda is one XD) but I wanted to do it differently. I think in this sort of situation he wouldn't act quite so stupidly. XD But yeah, I hope you liked this chapter! The next one or two chapters will probably be just tying all the loose ends up and LOADS of fluff. *le cries* Yes, it's near to the end, I'm going to miss writing it. However in my absense I've been attacked by about 5 different HitsuKarin plot bunnies so please, look forward to those and the next one or two chapters ^^ I hope you liked this chapter ^^<strong>


	14. Author's Note

Author's Note

Ok so first of all I would like to apologize profusely for not updating for months, and I probably won't for a while yet either. I've had several problems for the past couple months, mainly chronic illness (CFS). My condition basically renders me illiterate when I get exhausted and with huge headaches, and I get exhausted if I don't get _at least_ eight hours sleep. I had a fairly serious relapse a month or two ago where I couldn't read, write or even understand speech as well as I usually can for three and a half weeks. Because of this and previous days off, again due to illness, I've been very behind in school work and seeing as this is my last year in secondary school and I want to go to a good college/sixth form next year it's _very_ important for me to catch up with work, so that's what I've been doing for the past couple of months. Illness, school work and coursework.

I still have some work to catch up on, but there isn't too much and I should be finished with my art coursework (which is my biggest coursework project) in early January and I haven't got much of my product design coursework left either. I do have mock exams in February that I really could do with passing, but other than that, I haven't got anything too major until early May, which is my exam leave. So at the moment my plan is to either update in mid or late January, possibly early February, or after my mock exams. I really do apologize for not updating sooner, but I've either been swamped with work or completely unable to update. I really do hope to update as soon as I can, and I've managed to formulate quite a few ideas for new stories for when this story is finished (which should only be a chapter or two at the very most). So yeah, I apologize again, I really do feel guilty, but there really was nothing I could do about it. As much as I would love to blow off my school work and write fanfiction all day, I really can't. I hope to update soon, and hopefully this story shall be finished with a good ending that you all enjoy.

LunaYoruichi


	15. Training

**I ACTUALLY UPDATED! I am so so so so sorry guys. I know I said I would update in January/February time but my CFS flared up so I was on and off school for weeks and unable to finish coursework stuff. (CFS impairs my ability to read and write properly because it stops me from concentrating properly and makes me incredibly tired.) After my mock exams in February I ended up with a ton of coursework to finish on a tight schedule. Because of all the stress I kept getting ill so by the time I had finished it and gotten it out of the way it was May and my exams were starting. And exams were far too important to not study. After I finished all of my exams I had to start looking at colleges because the original one I wanted to go to didn't offer my any support with my chronic illness and didn't do all of the subjects I wanted to. So that also took time. Then there's the fact that I had to read the entire story (which is bloody long by the way, my god) to get familiar and back into the flow with it. Anyway, I'm in my summer holidays now, so I plan to finish the story soon!**

Review Replies (Chapter 13 reviews):

**elarhy: **Well to each their own! I'm very glad that you like the plot, as trying to get a decent one that will fit into the series can be quite difficult. After reading the story again I can kinda see what you mean with the HitsuKarin, although I will say being faced with such a danger like Aizen they might be more inclined to stick together without realising? A little more urgently maybe? It's funny you should mention the lemon actually. It turns out I started writing this story over a year ago and honestly I've grown up a lot more since then. So a lemon or more adult themes at least are no longer definitely not going to happen. There's a possibility that they might happen. (Plus I kinda have an idea for a sequel to this story so if it doesn't happen in this story I'm sure it would happen in that one, if I write it.)**  
>MaskoftheDawn:<strong> Oh wow thanks a lot! This made me very happy to see. I hope you enjoy the next chapter!**  
>Frostynight98: <strong>Well I'v finally updated now! XD Hopefully you'll like this chapter. ^.^**  
>NightSparrow15:<strong> I must say, it kinda sounds like you're trying to start a rivalry with Bleached-Whale! XD But seriously wow that is quite a review. I'm glad I can make my readers feel different emotions like that. And actually like I said above, a lemon/adult themes aren't completely out of the question any more. I mean honestly I still saw myself as a kid last year, but I'm not uncomfortable with the idea of writing lemon any more, so it's a possibility. ^.^

**Forbidden-Hanyou: **I'm glad you liked it and I hope you like this one!**  
>SpunkyFun: <strong>Aww I'm glad you think so, I totally see them as this adorable little family. XD I hope you like this chapter!**  
>pikachuhats: <strong>Yeah while I was reading the story again I noticed a fair few mistakes dotted around the place. At some point I plan to correct them and change the layout of the speech and text a bit to make it easier to read. But anyway, I hope you like this chapter!**  
>Every shadow has its twin: <strong>Well it wasn't soon, but at least I updated. ^^; I'm glad you liked the chapter and I hope you like this one!**  
>Bara-san: <strong>Haha your review made me smile. In Aizen's face indeed!**  
>Bleached Whale: <strong>Gosh your reviews never fail to make me smile. I wonder if you heard the angels again when I finally posted this? XD Indeed! It's nice that we share the same pairings. Yeah I thought the mental pic of Yoona sleeping on Toshiro would be cute. Yeah I thought Ichigo would act more mature. I'm sorry but I don't believe that an older brother would attempt to kill his littler sister's partner, especially if they were happy, and besides he's like what 18/19 in this story? I'm sure he would've matured over the years. (Well you'd think anyway XD) I honestly don't know how I do it. I just kinda ramble on and I figure it's interesting enough to stick into the story XD Oh I'm so glad you like her Zanpakto, especially as a light-based one is different to the usual one. I'm sure your writing is great, but yes it can make you pretty nervous XD I really hope you like this chapter, especially after waiting for so long.**  
>Twistedkorn: <strong>I'm glad you liked the last chapter, hopefully you'll like this one too!

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><p><span>Chapter 14: Training<span>

Karin groaned as she stretched. She opened her eyes a fraction and found herself in a spacious, blue room. "What the?" It took a couple of seconds for Karin to realise it was Tōshirō's bedroom. She shifted round to see Tōshirō sleeping peacefully, his chest rising and falling steadily. Karin closed her eyes again, enjoying the peace and quiet she knew wouldn't last long. Sure enough, Karin heard small footsteps running through the house, although in the wrong direction. Karin couldn't help but smile when she heard small feet on the laminate flooring, making it obvious that Yoona had found the right room. She opened one eye to see Yoona closing the door in again before turning to the bed. Much to Karin's confusion, Yoona just stood there by the door for a couple of moments before stretching her limbs. Karin opened both eyes when she realised what Yoona was planning on doing. Silently, she shifted so she was prepared for Yoona's attack, keeping one eye open to watch her movements.

Yoona started to run towards the bed, clearly planning on jumping after getting a lot of momentum and then landing on both Karin and Tōshirō. When Yoona finally jumped up from the ground, Karin quickly leaped up from the bed and caught Yoona, causing the little girl to scream, before she burst into fits of hysterical laughter. Tōshirō groaned as he sat up, his eyes trying to adjust to the light. "What on Earth?"  
>"Long story short, I scared Yoona."<br>"I see. What's the time?"  
>"I don't know where the clock is."<br>"It's on your side of the bed somewhere...isn't it?"

Karin turned on her side. "Oh yeah, it is. It's 7. Well, 5 to 7."  
>Tōshirō got up from the bed, mumbling something about the shower and getting into work. Karin sighed before turning to Yoona. "What do you say Yoona? Why don't we go back to sleep?"<br>"But Unnie, I'm hungry!"  
>Karin sighed again before sitting up. "Fine. Let's see what your Oppa has in the kitchen shall we?"<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin sighed heavily while toasting some bread. She was nervous. She had to tell Yoona she was going sooner rather than later to let her adjust to the idea, but it scared her. She sighed again after finishing cooking breakfast and sat down next to the recently cleaned kitchen table. "Yoona, I'm going away again."  
>Yoona dropped her piece of toast onto her plate and looked up and Karin, her eyes full of confusion and hurt. "Huh? Why? Where are you going?"<br>"It's nothing big Yoona...You know how Oppa wears that black and white uniform?"  
>Yoona nodded. "A lot of people do here."<br>"Exactly. And to be able to get a uniform like that I need to...pass a course."

"...A course?"  
>"Yeah. It's kinda like school for grown ups...Well...People who aren't children any more. "<br>"What's the difference?"  
>"It's difficult to explain. The point is, I'm going away for a short while. It won't be for too long, and while I'm gone Oppa's gonna look after you."<br>"But you'll come back?"  
>"Of course! Why wouldn't I?"<br>Yoona shrugged. "I don't know."  
>"Yoona?"<br>"Yeah?"

"I'm coming back. I'll always come back." Yoona nodded without looking up. The fact that she wasn't looking up was playing hell with Karin's heart. She clearly didn't want her to leave, and she didn't seem to trust that she was coming back. Karin sighed as she lent back onto her chair. The only thing she could do was go to the academy, become a fully fledged shinigami and prove that she was coming back, by literally coming back. Karin turned her attention towards the door frame, sensing that Tōshirō was getting closer.

Sure enough Tōshirō entered the kitchen, fully dressed. "Ok, I should be going."  
>Karin turned around, giving him her full attention. "You haven't even eaten."<br>"I'll live. I'm late."  
>Karin looked at her watch. "It's half 7. It's not that late. Besides, <em>you're<em> the Captain, who's gonna tell you off for being late?"  
>Tōshirō sighed. "Well I <em>did<em> have a routine that I would like to go back to. Breakfast isn't that important."  
>"Jeez Tōsh, for a prodigy you know nothing. For a start your routine sucked. You were always working, I rarely got to see you before that whole thing went down. I'm not letting you go back to that. Plus, breakfast is important. Now get your ass on a chair or I will make you."<br>Tōshirō raised his eyebrow for a moment before sighing, knowing there was no point in arguing. Karin had an awful habit of winning everything. Tōshirō blamed her sheer determination.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin was lying on the sofa thinking while half watching Yoona. While she knew this could be classed as 'getting ahead of herself', she was considering the different squads and which one she would want to go in. She still had no idea. She supposed she would have more time to decide when she was actually in the academy. Or at least, she'd probably get more information. She looked up when she heard something at the door. After a second she realised it was Tōshirō using his key to get inside. Karin quickly looked at the clock on the wall opposite her. It wasn't that late, was it? Tōshirō saw her looking at the clock strangely and spoke.  
>"It's not late, I'm just early."<br>"Oh...How come? Did you manage to get all your paperwork done?"  
>Tōshirō almost laughed. "Don't be daft. I figured it could wait. While I was working I realised while your gone I'm gonna have to do food shopping a lot more and for Yoona."<p>

Karin raised an eyebrow. "Your point being?"  
>"What on earth do you feed a kid of her age?"<br>Karin laughed while shaking her head. "Tōsh, you're useless! I'll happily go shopping with you and all, but wouldn't that get people talking?"  
>Tōshirō shrugged. "If I'm honest Rin, the reason I kept our relationship so private before is because I'm pretty sure there are laws against dating humans, and if there isn't, it's heavily frowned upon. Well that and personally I think that someone's relationship is no business of anyone other than those two people."<br>Karin nodded slowly, taking all of his words. "Do you mean to tell me you potentially broke the law for me, and intentionally at that?"  
>"Well I wouldn't say it was intentional."<br>"Tōsh."  
>"...Yes."<p>

Karin got up from her seat and walked over to Tōshirō and swiftly punched him in the arm before kissing him. "That is possibly one of the most idiotic things you've ever done. I cannot believe you would do that for me...What would you have done if you were caught?"  
>"Run for it?"<br>Karin rolled her eyes. "So you don't care if people start talking about us then? I know you can get really wound up if someone says the wrong thing."  
>"I'd be surprised if people haven't already started talking.."<br>"...That's a good point. Considering you spent literally all your time with me and Yoona ever since I got here."  
>"Exactly. Chances are rumours are flying around everywhere."<p>

Karin nodded. "Oh has the Captain Commander said anything about Yoona? We can keep her here right? She doesn't have to be in Rukongai or anything right?"  
>"I talked to him this morning and told him pretty much everything about what's been going on and he said he had no problem with Yoona being here as long as she didn't interfere with my duties too much and I got all of my paperwork in on time, you know <em>without<em> doodles."  
>Karin laughed. "Well I reckon paper and coloured pencils are on the list of things we need to get. C'mon, let's go." Tōshirō nodded.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō sighed. He was exhausted and they weren't even finished yet. How can shopping be so tiring? Usually he'd just get anything, but Karin was planning meals while trying to hit the balance between food Yoona needed and food she wanted.  
>"But Unnie! Why can't I have eggs for breakfast everyday? I thought they were good..."<br>"They're good for protein, but they also have a ton of cholesterol and fat and stuff. So you can't have them everyday, now come on, let's decide what else we should have for breakfast."

Tōshirō mentally prepared himself for whatever argument might crop up over food in the near future. He could've sworn he got a migraine the second Yoona squealed. Tōshirō looked up to see Yoona running towards a pile of stuffed animals, apparently determined to hug as many as she physically could. Tōshirō groaned while Karin went running after her. While Karin was talking to Yoona, Tōshirō grabbed a couple of bottles of milk and a few loafs of bread. The two girls had found their way back to him, after making the deal that if Yoona behaved for the rest of the trip she could have _one_ of the stuffed animals.

Tōshirō stared at his watch in amazement. How one shopping trip could take 2 and a half hours? He quickly paid, wanting to get home soon, being completely exhausted. He carried the majority of the shopping bags and Karin the rest, with Yoona following closely in the back, hugging her new tiger.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin stared at herself in the mirror. The days had gone way too quickly in her opinion. She stood there, in her new academy uniform, trying to get used to the sight. She couldn't believe she was leaving to go to the academy tomorrow morning. In some ways she really didn't want to go, but on the other hand she would only have to do it this once, and it was better to do it early on rather than later. Karin got pulled from her thoughts when she heard a knock on the door. She went across the bedroom and opened the door, revealing a very tired looking Tōshirō. "Why did you knock? It's your bedroom too."  
>"You could've been changing."<br>"Oh yeah..."

Tōshirō raised an eyebrow. "You ok?"  
>Karin sighed heavily before shaking her head slightly. "Not really."<br>Tōshirō hugged her round her waist gently. "What's up? Scared? Nervous? All of the above?"  
>Karin rested her head on Tōshirō's shoulder by leaning back. "All of the above and you know, more. Were you scared when you went into the academy?<br>"Terrified. But I was actually a kid back then and I had absolutely no prior experience. You'll be fine."  
>Karin sighed again. "Ugh, I hope so."<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin woke up the next morning to the sound of the clock alarm going off. She groaned before lightly hitting the clock, attempting to get the sound to stop. By the time she had managed to get the alarm to stop Tōshirō had already woken up.  
>"Ugh. Sorry, I didn't want to wake anybody up."<br>Tōshirō shook his head sleepily. "Don't worry about it, I'd rather be awake to see you go anyway."  
>Karin nodded. "Fair enough." She slid out of the bed groggily, not quite with it. "I'm gonna go take a shower."<p>

After Karin left the room Tōshirō stretched out his limbs on the bed, taking up the majority of the bed before sitting up. He wasn't particularly looking forward to saying goodbye to Karin so soon and he was a little worried about looking after Yoona, even though people had already offered to help. But it was for the best and it was what she wanted, besides he doubted she would be there any longer than a couple of months. Tōshirō got out of the bed and started to get dressed in his shinigami uniform.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō was in the middle of making breakfast while Yoona was trying to pack a bag of stuff to keep her busy as she'd be stuck with Tōshirō in his office until Rukia came to pick her up in the late afternoon to take her to the Kurosaki household for the night so Tōshirō could plan how he was going to handle her for the weeks to come. Karin walked down the stairs in her academy uniform with a bag full of clothes and other necessities for the staying in the dorms for a while. She gave a weak smile to the two before sitting down at the table and nervously sipping some juice. Tōshirō couldn't help but smile at her nervousness. "You'll be fine."  
>Karin glanced at Tōshirō. "I hope so."<p>

Tōshirō finished cooking breakfast and dished it out on three plates and called Yoona to sit down at the table. There was a slightly awkward feel to the atmosphere while they ate. All three of them were sad that Karin was leaving again. Tōshirō put on a brave face however, knowing that looking upset wasn't going to help Karin at all. Karin sighed heavily as she finished her food and looked at her watch. "I guess I should make a move huh?"  
>Tōshirō nodded. "Yeah, you don't want to be late."<br>Karin agreed and got up from the table. She got her bag and put it near the door, ready to grabbed quickly before walking back to the kitchen.  
>"Yoona, Unnie has to go now."<p>

Yoona nodded sadly and held her arms up, wanting to be held. Karin lifted her up and hugged her tightly, not really wanting to let go. She kissed her cheek and lowered her back down to the floor. She turned to Tōshirō. He walked towards her and wrapped his arms tightly around her before pulling back and kissing her. Karin leaned into Tōshirō, her head resting on his chest.  
>Tōshirō spoke up. "Remember to phone me when you get there and settled."<br>Karin nodded. "I will. I'll see you both later." She waved as she left the room and the house, heading to the academy.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō sighed as he heard the loud knock on his office door, knowing it was Rukia here to pick up Yoona. He got up to let her into his office. "Hey Captain Hitsugaya. Is she ready to go?"  
>Tōshirō nodded. "More or less. Yoona pack up your pencils and get ready to go."<br>Yoona nodded and started to shove the different coloured pencils back into her bag while Tōshirō grabbed another bag with Yoona's pyjamas, toothbrush, etc. in it and handed it to Rukia.  
>Rukia spoke as she took the bag off Tōshirō. "Ichigo is gonna drop her back off tomorrow after lunchtime ok?"<br>Tōshirō nodded and gave her a small smile. "Sure."

Rukia smiled back at the captain. "You already miss her huh?"  
>"What? Well...I guess I kinda do."<br>Rukia smiled again as she lifted Yoona into her arms. "Don't worry. After you get Yoona back tomorrow you'll be so preoccupied that the weeks will just fly by."  
>Tōshirō smiled at her and waved as she left with Yoona safely in her arms.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō couldn't help but yawn as he finished off the paperwork he currently had. It had hit 11 o'clock at night and all he wanted to do was to get this finished and go to bed. He signed the last couple of sheets and placed them neatly on top of a pile. He cleaned up the office a little bit before turning off all of the lights and locking the door. He made his way to his house, a little sad. He was all alone tonight. Yoona was staying at the Kurosakis' house overnight and Karin was going to be gone for a while. The fact that she hadn't phoned yet depressed him a little bit as well.

Tōshirō pulled back the covers of his bed and got into it. He looked to his right and saw the photo of Karin. It was strange really. That photo was taken what, half a year ago? Maybe a little longer than that. But she had changed so much during that time. Back then he still considered her a child. Now he couldn't see her as anything but a woman. He wondered whether all human girls grew up that fast, or all the business with Aizen caused her to nature quicker. Tōshirō sighed as he turned off his light, feeling a little lonely as Karin wasn't in bed with him.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Rangiku pouted as Yoona ignored her instructions. She just wouldn't stay still. "You know it might not be a bad idea to take her to my meeting this afternoon."  
>Tōshirō looked up from his desk. "Why would you take her to the Women's Association meeting?"<br>Rangiku shrugged. "Well why not Captain! They would all love her, plus I think she'd get on pretty well with Yachiru."  
>Tōshirō raised his eyebrow. "I suppose it's a possibility."<br>Rangiku, seeing that Yoona was happily entertaining herself, walked over to Tōshirō's side of the office and sat on the arm of one of the sofas. "Do you know if Karin would be interested in joining Women's Association when she gets out of the academy?"  
>Tōshirō thought for a moment. "I wouldn't put it past her."<p>

Rangiku grinned. "Great!" Rangiku paused for a moment before talking again. "How long has she been at the academy now anyway?"  
>"About 5 weeks or so."<br>Rangiku nodded thoughtfully. "Do you reckon she'll be there for a while longer?"  
>"Actually I talked to her teachers recently. I reckon it'll be another month or two before she gets out of the academy. She excels in hand to hand combat, and is above average with Kidō but her sword skills isn't all they could be."<br>"I see. Do you think she'll go into the second squad?"  
>"It sounds like she will. It fits her quite well, and she has a lot of respect for Captain Suì-Fēng, and I think the two would actually get along pretty well."<br>Rangiku nodded. "She certainly seems suited for the second squad. But of course it's her decision where she wants go."  
>Tōshirō agreed.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

With Yoona taking a nap Tōshirō was able to clean the house properly for the first time in a short while. Not that it would stay clean. He was finishing dusting the shelves when he heard light footsteps coming down the stairs. He turned round to see Yoona with tears streaming down her face. Quickly he put the duster down and made his way over to her and crouched down to her level and lifted her up, taking her to the nearest sofa. He sat down with her on his lap and hugged her tightly. When her crying got quieter Tōshirō spoke calmly to her.

"Yoona, what's wrong?" She merely sniffled and snuggled into Tōshirō's chest. Tōshirō ended up asking repeatedly until she finally answered.  
>"I miss Unnie. She said she would come back."<br>Tōshirō nodded and hugged her tighter. "I miss her too. But Yoona, she is still coming back. It's just taking longer than we thought is all."  
>"Why?"<br>Tōshirō sighed. "You know how school has different subjects? Like English, Maths, Science, Music, History and so on?" Yoona nodded. "The Shinigami academy is kinda like that, but there are different subjects than the normal ones."  
>"Like?"<p>

"Well at the academy you get taught how to use a sword properly. That's one subject. They also teach you how to do spells. That's another subject. They also teach you how to teach you how to meditate and communicate properly. That's another subject. There's quite a few. And while Unnie is very good at most of them she's struggling a bit with wielding a sword, so it's taking a little longer than we thought it would."  
>"Why is she bad with a sword?"<br>Tōshirō shrugged. "I don't know to be honest. Her brother is very good with swords. I guess it's just not her sort of thing. She's better with hand to hand combat rather than using weapons."  
>Yoona huffed. "Why would Unnie use sharp things anyway? That's bad."<br>"She would use them to protect people. To save peoples' lives. That's not so bad is it?"  
>Yoona shook her head. "Guess not."<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō woke up at 7 in the morning to his phone ringing. He answered it after stretching and yawning a bit. Immediately he recognised Karin's voice.  
>"Oh hey."<br>"Hey. Sorry about not phoning often recently. I've just been really trying hard to get better with using swords. That and I don't want to phone at an awkward time."  
>Tōshirō nodded. "Don't worry about it. How is the sword training going by the way?"<br>"Ok I guess. I've managed to become as good as average, which is something I suppose. I talked to my teacher today. He said that I'll graduate as soon as I can call my Zanpaktō while in battle. He says after I can do that it's better for me to train in the squads anyway."  
>"Mmm. He's not wrong."<br>"The thing is Tōsh, I don't know how long it's going to take me to get to that point."

Tōshirō sighed. "Believe me when I say it won't take you that long. You have quite a strong connection with her, and you can reach her through meditation outside of battle. I'm sure you'll be able to communicate with her during battle soon enough. Although I will say it helps to stay calm during fighting. I also don't want you to push yourself too much. It won't do you any good to rush through this so you can get home quicker."  
>Karin scoffed. "Says you...I miss you. A lot. I wanna go home already."<p>

Tōshirō sighed again. "I miss you too. So does Yoona. But I don't want you rushing this. It's probably more likely to happen if you take your time actually. The key is to be able to keep calm and concentrate. Otherwise your Zanpaktō won't be able to reach you.  
>Karin groaned. "Ugh. Ok. Hopefully I'll be out of here soon though."Hopefully. Out of interest have you given any more thought to which squad you want to go in or are you still stuck between the second, sixth and thirteenth?"<p>

"Still stuck. I don't know why it's so difficult to choose to be honest."  
>"I'm sure you'll figure it out eventually. I mean a lot of people transfer between squads until they find one they want to stay in. I'd say only about half of people actually stay in their first squad, and that's if you're lucky. It's not something worth stressing."<br>"Oh it didn't occur to me that you could transfer. Thanks Tōsh. Anyway I gotta go, I don't wanna be late. Hopefully I'll be able to phone you again soon."  
>"Ah fair enough. Yeah, hopefully I'll be able to see you soon enough as well. Good luck."<br>Karin smiled. "Thanks. Bye Tōsh. I miss you."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin was sat down on the floor with her legs crossed and her eyes closed. She along with a couple of other students were attempting to contact their Zanpaktō. She exhaled loudly, concentrating hard. Slowly and calmly she entered her inner world.

Karin looked around, realising that she was near a lake. She looked up, studying the crescent moon up in the sky. "I wonder if it's always night here."  
>"It is."<br>Karin turned around to see her Zanpaktō behind her. "Oh hey."  
>"What are you doing here sweetheart? Still struggling with sword fighting I see."<br>"Hey I'm average now. That's not exactly struggling."  
>"Honey you forget that I can see everything you can think about it. I'm connected to you. I wouldn't call being average struggling, but you do. You want to be better."<br>Karin sighed as she looked down before speaking. "Why won't you talk to me while we're fighting?"  
>"I don't see any reason to."<br>"Huh?"

Karin's Zanpaktō sighed before sitting down gracefully on the floor and gesturing for Karin to do the same. "Look you want to improve your skills right? Relying on me isn't going to help you. I agree that you should train with me, but not before you're at least slightly happy with your skills in sword fighting. You shouldn't run before you can walk. Besides it's not like you're in any danger."  
>Karin huffed. "But I can't get out of the academy until I can talk to you while fighting."<br>"I know honey. I'm sorry about that, I know you miss them. But I cannot compromise here. I believe that you need to be comfortable with fighting without me and with your own skill before you fight with me."  
>Karin sighed.<p>

Karin's teacher shook her lightly, stopping her from concentrating. She opened her eyes and looked around the room. Some students weren't meditating any more, while some still were. She looked up at the teacher who explained what was going on. "The sixth squad Captain and Vice-Captain are visiting the academy. All the students are to go to the first training the ground."  
>"The big one?"<br>Her teacher nodded.

Karin made her way to the academy's largest training ground, spotting one of her friends on the way. She waved and called his name. "Hey Aki!"Aki heard Karin yell and jogged over to her.  
>"Hey Karin. Do you know what's going on? All I know is we're supposed to go to the first training ground."<br>Karin nodded "Kinda. Apparently Captain Kuchiki and Vice-Captain Abarai are visiting the academy."  
>"Oh really? I heard that Captains visited occasionally to see how things are going."<br>"Really? I didn't know that."  
>Aki nodded. "Yeah, apparently sometimes they give advice on how to train certain students and stuff."<br>"Huh...How come?"  
>Aki shrugged. "Hell if I know."<br>Aki and Karin found a spot in between several students that were now surrounding the first training ground. Karin looked around. "How many students are there in the academy? There's less than I thought"

Aki nodded. "The numbers vary. From what I've heard Seireitei have a couple hundred officers in each squad. Obviously being a shinigami is dangerous work, so every so often officers die, which is why they need the academy to train up new officers. If I remember correctly Seireitei open up to the academy to as many who have the skill to apply, which is roughly a couple hundred every few months to half a year. So I think the minimum is probably a hundred or so and the maximum would be what? 500 maybe? Although there is certainly less than 500 here currently."  
>"Wow really? The secondary school I would've gone to if I hadn't died easily has over a thousand students at any one time, and it wasn't the only school in the city."<br>Aki gave short whistle. "That seems like a lot."  
>Karin shrugged. "I guess I'm just used to that sort of size. The local college had around 4,000 students. It makes this look really small."<br>"I'm not surprised."

The sight of the two main commanders of the sixth squad entering the first training ground and sitting down, facing the sparring area made them stop talking. One of the more important teachers of the academy walked forward and stood in the middle of the sparring area and projected his voice loudly so all of the students could hear him. "Captain Kuchiki and Vice-Captain Abarai are here to observe you all fight. Similar to previous commanding officer visits, the students will demonstrate in groups. You are all aware that you belong to a numbered group to organise you all easier and better. The way this will work is Group 1 will go first. You will spar with whichever person you find first. As the pairs duel, the commanding officers will observe. You will fight for half an hour unless you are defeated before that time. In which case the pair of you will exit the sparring area, unless you are wanted by either myself or the Captain or Vice-Captain. After Group 1 is finished, Group 2 will go, Group 3 will follow and so on. Is this clear?"  
>After seeing a sea of heads nodding. The teacher spoke again. "Group 1! Into the sparring area!"<p>

Karin and Aki watched the different pairs fight with interest. It was intriguing that there could be so many different style of combat in a group of only 30 or 40 people. It was also intriguing that certain styles had so much of an advantage over others. Karin assumed that people within the same group would've been at least somewhat eventually even matched, and yet some pairs were finished within five minutes, while others simply couldn't defeat their partner within the time limit. When Group 2 were called Karin waved as Aki made his way to the sparring area.

Karin leaned against a nearby post as she watched Aki fight, unconsciously studying his attack and defence patterns. Aki had managed to defeat his partner just before the 25 minute mark and he made his way to Karin after sheathing his Zanpaktō. She smiled as he walked back to her. "You know Aki you have a blind spot near you left waist area. Or rather an area you don't protect very well."  
>"Oh really? Thank god he didn't pick up on it. Thanks for telling me."<br>Karin nodded and nudged him in a friendly way. "Just make sure you work on it."

Aki nodded while turning to the third group which was now sparring. "Which group are you in again? I remember it being an odd number, but that's it."  
>Karin rolled her eyes while grinning. "Group 5. So I've got just under an hour to wait."<br>"Ooh fun."  
>Karin sighed. "Quite."<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin watched the Captain and Vice-Captain carefully. Group 4 were still going but one of the students had been pulled away from the group and was being talked to by Captain Kuchiki. The student was clearly nervous, but held their composure quite well. After the student was dismissed the Captain called over the teacher running the event and talked to him for roughly five minutes. Karin had watched the student fight briefly and she noticed that they had a very unusual fighting style, so she assumed that the student was going to be taught and trained differently from now on. When she noticed that Group 4 were starting to leave the sparring area she stopped zoning out. Karin heard the teacher yell out of her group and she took a deep breath while walking into the training ground. She looked over at the sixth squad's commanding officers and unintentionally caught Renji's eye. He winked at her playfully causing her to grin.

After 10 minutes of combat Karin neatly defeated her opponent by pointing her Zanpaktō at his neck. She started moving out of the training ground before she heard her surname being called by the teacher. Karin took a deep breath before turning around and walking towards the teacher, the Captain and the Vice-Captain, visibly nervous. Nevertheless she kept a strong stance while walking over and held her head up high. When she got over to them the teacher spoke first. "Kurosaki. Captain Kuchiki believes you are not being challenged enough."  
>"Huh?"<br>Byakuya turned to face Karin properly. "Karin Kurosaki. You have more similarities with your brother than you realise. Would I be right in assuming that you are struggling to improve your swordsmanship?"  
>Renji's eyes narrowed in confusion. "What are you talking about Captain? She took out her opponent quickly."<p>

"Exactly. Not exactly a challenge is it? Kurosaki, I believe you are similar to your older brother when it comes to improving your skills. I believe you both need to be threatened to improve."  
>Karin raised her eyebrow. "Would you mind elaborating on that Sir?"<br>Byakuya gave short nod. "I have fought your brother before, and I have watched him fight before. He learns a lot more while he's in danger because he's a lot more afraid of getting hit and sensibly so, seeing as certain hits could kill him. I believe a more challenging and experienced opponent would serve you better than facing another academy student."  
>"Then who exactly am I supposed to face?"<br>"Vice-Captain Abarai."

Both Renji and Karin were shocked. "What?"  
>"What?"<br>"You two are well acquainted, correct?"  
>Karin nodded. "Well yes, but-"<br>"Then you would trust him to not injure you too seriously while sparring surely?"  
>"Well...yeah I guess so, but-"<br>"Then it is decided, you will face him in battle."  
>"Yes Sir, but, when?"<br>"I see no reason not to do it now."

Karin's eyes widened slightly before looking at Renji, who had agreed and gotten up out of his seat and was now starting to walk towards a clear area of the training ground. Karin glanced at her teacher who nodded, signalling her to walk over to Renji and start sparring. She took a deep breath before turning around to face Renji. She walked somewhat confidently towards Renji as she unsheathed her Zanpaktō.

Renji shifted into a fighting stance as Karin got closer. Karin also changed her position into a fighting stance. Renji's eyes narrowed, daring her to make the first move. Karin, never being one to turn down a dare, lunged forward with her Zanpaktō, aiming for his chest. Renji easily dodged this move and swung his own weapon upwards, towards Karin. She blocked it, but barely, shocked that he had moved so fast.

She tried attacking him a couple more times but each time they failed, Renji easily dodging or blocking them. It looked like he wasn't even trying, frustrating Karin. She huffed as she swung at him again a couple of times in a row, all of them being dodged by Renji, annoying Karin further. She couldn't even land a single hit on him. She changed her position and went for him again, determined to hit him at least once. Once again Renji dodged it. Without warning Renji started to swing at her making her move quicker than she ever had before, working off pure instinct. Even though Byakuya said she would trust him to not injure her too seriously, she felt like he was attacking her not caring whether he injured her or not. She understand that she had to pushed, but she did genuinely feel like she could be in some serious danger if she let Renji hit her.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin winced in pain as Renji sliced into her left arm ever so slightly, not enough to cause her serious injury, but enough to cause her pain, which he hoped would act as a deterrent from getting hit again. Karin grunted as she charged forwards, her anger behind her blade. Renji could've laughed at how similar to Ichigo she could be. He blocked her attack and swung his weapon around to attack her waist. Karin gasped as he hit her a little too hard, cutting into her more than he planned to. Karin realised that if she could actually get into some serious danger. They had been going for longer than half an hour and she was already getting tired. She should've been able to block that last hit. If she didn't get her act together quick she could get pretty hurt. Worry briefly washed over her before her determination set in.

Renji stood back as he let Karin's breathing get back to normal. Karin swung her Zanpaktō around a bit. She still wasn't really used to using one, not compared to using her own fists. Karin sighed before pushing on, she had managed to get pretty close to hitting Renji, and there was no way in hell she was going to stop now.

10 minutes later Karin had finally managed to hit Renji on his lower leg and realising that he protected the area below his knees a lot less than the rest of him. Karin had been fighting him long enough to start seeing his weak points, although there weren't exactly tons of them. A short while later she had managed to successfully attack Renji again, creating a deeper gash than the last time. Karin grinned, happy that she was finally improving, enough to hit a Vice-Captain more than once no less!

While he was supposed to be watching all of the academy students fighting (the whole academy was not going to stop just to watch Karin and Renji fight) he couldn't help but watch them sparring with interest. She had a pretty similar style of fighting to her brother, but it was more calculated. Interestingly, even though she had talent with a sword, she didn't look all that comfortable with using a sword.

Renji noticed that Karin was getting more confident, so he kicked it up a notch, not really feeling like getting a lot of gashes. Besides, she was improving, so if he didn't set the bar higher as she did it wouldn't challenge her any more. He suddenly started moving quicker, making it harder for Karin to attack him and block his attacks. Karin's eyebrows furrowed in concentration, trying to watch his movement so she wouldn't get hit with his sword. Unfortunately it wasn't working well. Before long she had more than 20 different cuts and gashes, causing her to worry. She was trying not to panic. She was only just realising that Renji was clearly a Vice-Captain for a reason. He was certainly skilled. She couldn't get her breathing to even out.

As Karin saw Renji run towards her again her heart rate increased further, causing her breathing to quicken. Suddenly she heard someone call her name. She glanced towards the crowd of academy students and realised it was none of them. She looked at Renji and realised his movements were slowing down. Karin was beyond confused, making her panic more before the voice called her again. Everything was slowing down now, even her own movements. Karin blinked and opened her eyes to her inner world. "What the?"  
>"Karin. Stop panicking, it's not gonna help you."<br>"How am I supposed to stay calm under these conditions?"  
>Karin's Zanpaktō sighed. "I understand that it's difficult. But honey think about this properly. You've already managed to land some hits on him. You can do it again."<br>Karin scoffed, if you truly thought that you wouldn't have pulled me in here."

"My my. You're learning."  
>Karin raised her eyebrow. "Does this mean I finally get to learn your name?"<br>The Zanpaktō crossed her arms. "Only if you prove you're worthy."  
>"Huh? How do I do that? Was fighting Renji not enough?"<br>"No it wasn't. I want you show me your skills directly."  
>"How?"<br>Karin's Zanpaktō raised her right arm straight above her head. A strong, bright light started emitting from her palm, causing Karin to blink more than usual, until a golden Zanpaktō formed. She changed her position and gestured Karin to attack her. Karin unsheathed her own sword confidently and got ready to attack.

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><p><strong>I originally planned to have this chapter a lot longer but this just felt like a really natural place to stop. This story made end up being a lot longer than I thought though! I honestly can't really remember the original plan I had this story so I ended up coming up with a new one, but it's going to take longer to write XD I also came up with a sequel although I'm not entirely sure whether to write it or not. Obviously having CFS means I'm more than familiar with the illness and it can have a few causes, and I thought that maybe I could write a sequel in which Karin ends up developing CFS. It would be a more emotional story rather than action-packed, so yeah. What do you guys think? Should I write it? Would you be interested in it?<strong>

**I apologise if they aren't quite 100% in character, I'm still trying to get back into the flow of the story, which can be a little difficult when a story is this long. I also really really wanna thank you guys for your responses to my Author's Note. You guys are all so sweet (I gotta say I particularly enjoyed NightSparrow15's suggestion of marijuana, it made me laugh XD). I'm so thankful for you guys sticking with me even though it took me so long to finally update. I swear the wait for the next chapter won't be anywhere near as long XD**


	16. Normal' Life

**Oh man I've been working on this non-stop for like a week. I kept re-writing bits and pieces trying to get it right. Hopefully it didn't turn out too badly. I hope you all like this. ^.^**

Review Replies:

**FrostyNight98: **Ugh sorry about that, I really wanted to update the story but life completely got in the way. Still I hope you enjoy reading it ^^;  
><strong>silver shihouin:<strong> Oh I never noticed that! After your review I tried to work a little description of her in. Thanks so much for your review! I'll certainly work on that in the future! I'm glad you like my writing. I hope you like this chapter! ^.^

**TheSkandranon:** _(Chapter 9 review)_ Yeah I do feel bad for her. But oh wow you have a fic with Byakuya and Hisana totally reading that. (I love those two.) Oh wow. But I suppose life is like that really. I'm glad you like the story ^.^ _(Chapter 12 review)_ Haha I never thought of that! It's a good idea though. _(Chapter 15)_ Oh I'm glad you think so, because I don't think they would be like their younger selves at this point. Oh I'm glad, I mean that is the sort of thing I'm aiming for XD CFS can develop out of the blue, but it can also be developed after a virus getting into your body. Thanks a lot for your comments I appreciate them. And I hope you like this chapter! ^.^

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><p><span>Chapter 15: 'Normal' Life<span>

Karin blocked her Zanpaktō's attack just in time, but it was powerful. Karin dug her feet into the ground quickly so she wouldn't fall over with the force of the swing. Karin spun round and tried to kick her Zanpaktō to the floor. She easily dodged and swung down with her sword. Karin rolled out of the way.

The Zanpaktō's attack patterns intrigued Karin. They were pretty similar to hers, so much so that Karin felt like fighting her Zanpaktō was easier than fighting Renji, Karin could predict her next move more easily than she could with Renji. The problem was, Karin didn't want to hit her Zanpaktō. She was so beautiful. She felt like cutting her Zanpaktō would be like cutting a piece of art. Unfortunately, her Zanpaktō was a little more ruthless and had much more power than Karin did.

After fighting for a while Karin had gotten several cuts and bruises, nothing too serious except for the gashes her Zanpaktō had made on both of Karin's legs, making it harder and more painful for her to move around, which meant dodging was more difficult. Karin swore under her breath as her Zanpaktō hit her right leg again. Karin lunged forward and swung quickly downwards in a diagonal direction. Her Zanpaktō moved to block it, but Karin had put all of her strength behind the attack. The sheer force and direction of the swing meant Karin's Zanpaktō had to drop her weapon. Before she could pick up the sword again Karin forced her Zanpaktō onto her knees and gently placed her weapon against her Zanpaktō's neck. Her Zanpaktō put her hands up as a signal of surrender, even though she knew Karin would never strike her in the situation she was currently in.

Karin held her hand out for her Zanpaktō so she could pull her to her feet. "Do you class me as worthy yet?"  
>Karin's Zanpaktō looked at her. "I suppose so." she continued speaking with a kind smile on her face. "You have gotten better with using a sword. And you did actually manage to defeat me. Only took you a few hours!"<br>Karin rolled her eyes while grinning. "Oh shut up. But, you're right it did take a couple of hours. How does that work? Does that mean I've been zoned out for hours? Or even passed out?"  
>Her Zanpaktō shook her head. "Oh no no no, it's fine. In your inner world time passes a lot quicker than out in the real world. One hour in here is about one second out there."<br>"Whoa."

Her Zanpaktō chuckled. "Trust you to worry about the little details before asking me my name. So many others end up demanding the name of their Zanpaktō immediately after defeating them. And yet here we are having a civil conversation. But I must say I do appreciate the calm."  
>Karin raised an eyebrow. "Well maybe I'm just more well mannered than most. Although maybe other peoples' situations are more life or death than mine? It's not like Renji would kill me."<br>"True. But if you don't improve then he could end up seriously hurting you, even if he didn't mean to."  
>"Well what <em>is <em>your name then?"  
>Karin's Zanpaktō walked over to her and bent down slightly, her mouth level to Karin's ear. Just loud enough for Karin to hear, she whispered her name.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin blinked and opened her eyes to see Renji running towards her. Quickly she ducked and swung her legs around to try and kick him to the ground. She managed to hit him causing him to topple over. Renji quickly shifted his position, practically bouncing off of his hands, and neatly landed on his feet again and spun round to face Karin again. Karin changed her position to a slight crouch and grabbed her Zanpaktō with both of her hands before speaking calmly.  
>"Kagayaku, Akemi!"<p>

Renji's eyes went wide as he witnessed Karin release her Shikai for the first time. A bright, golden light emitted from Karin's Zanpaktō, making it impossible to see it change forms, from a standard katana to two tonfa-style blades. The bright light drew Byakuya's attention away from the other academy students and back to Karin. He watched with interest as he saw the light starting to fade, revealing the tonfa-style blades. He raised an eyebrow as he leaned back in his chair and thought to himself.

It didn't surprise him that she had reached Shikai so quickly. Being exposed to her elder brother, Rukia, Tōshirō and unfortunately Aizen, along with her own reiatsu meant she was fairly strong. Much more strong than your average academy student. He also wasn't surprised that her Shikai featured tonfa-style blades. They were blades that were held in your hands like other blades, but instead of extending the length of your attack outwards, they lined the forearms with a sharp edge. In Karin's case, the blades did actually extend out, to a sharp point about ten centimetres from her hand. From that sharp point the blades went backwards to just past her elbow which again ended in a sharp point. There was an extension to the blades that started at the same points as her wrists, which came outwards for about 7 centimetres and then changed angle in the form of an elegant curve to go in the direction towards her elbows but it stopped just after the first half of her forearms. With one sharp point from her hand, one sharp near her elbows and a very sharp edge going from her wrist to the middle of her forearm, again ending in a sharp point, meant that Karin could be a very lethal opponent if she fought with hand to hand combat well.

Byakuya brushed his hair to the side of his head to clear his line of sight. While he had no doubt whatsoever that Renji could defeat Karin, Byakuya knew that Renji did not have that much experience with fighting an opponent who used hand to hand combat. Byakuya was unaware of how skilled Karin was with her hands, meaning that this sparring match could become very interesting.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Renji rotated his shoulders a bit while sitting in the fourth squad, waiting for someone to see him. He felt a bit sore after the fight with Karin. He had managed to acquire several cuts and gashes, some of them a little deep and his Captain advised him to go to the fourth squad to get some of them bandaged, as he did not want his Vice-Captain to risk getting an infection. Renji looked down at his arms, they were the most badly injured. After Karin released her Shikai she started using hand to hand combat, and Renji's first instinct was to block with his own arms. But obviously as she had sharp blades attached to her hands that covered her entire forearm that was a very stupid idea.

Suddenly a small body was hugging his leg, making him jump. Renji looked to his left leg to see Yoona leaning against it. She smiled at him before talking to him. "Are you ok? You look hurt."  
>Renji smiled at the little girl. They had only met a couple of times but it didn't take children long to bond with someone. "I'm fine. Why are you here? Are you ok?"<br>"She had to get a vaccine."  
>Renji looked up to see Tōshirō standing near him. "Ah, so that's why she's here."<p>

Tōshirō nodded. "Yeah. So what on earth happened to you? I heard that you and Captain Kuchiki were at the academy all day."  
>Renji scoffed. "We were. Your girlfriend puts up one hell of a fight. She's a stubborn one."<br>Tōshirō's eyes widened. "You fought her? Why?"  
>"Captain ordered me to. He said she wasn't being pushed enough, I figured it made sense given her family history so I agreed. After about what an hour? She released her Shikai. She's really good with it too, but the poor thing was so exhausted by that point that I defeated her 10 minutes after. Her friends took her back to her dorm to sleep after she got a few gashes bandaged."<br>The surprise on Tōshirō's face was obvious. "She reached Shikai?"  
>"Yeah. Really took it out of her though."<p>

Tōshirō sat down next to Renji. "Huh. What's it like?"  
>"Her Shikai? It's gorgeous to tell you the truth. Very unusual blades, I don't know the proper name of them, it's quite rare to see weapons like that, but she holds them with handles rather than hilts and they go along her forearms. When she releases it her Zanpaktō gives out a really bright light while the blade changes into the two forearm blades, and the blades themselves are golden. They reflect light really well."<br>Tōshirō couldn't help but smile. It sounded fitting for Karin. All three of them looked up when a member of the fourth squad spoke. "Ah, sorry to interrupt, but we're ready to see you Vice-Captain Abarai."

Renji nodded and got up. "Well this is my cue."  
>Tōshirō stood up as well and lifted Yoona up and held her tightly. "Yeah, we should probably be off as well. There's always work to do after all."<br>Renji smiled and nodded. "Well I'm sure I'll see you at some point soon Captain." Renji poked Yoona's nose lightly causing her to giggle. "And I'm sure I'll see you as well."  
>Yoona grinned and waved as Renji went into one of the many medical rooms. "Bye bye!"<br>Tōshirō smiled at Yoona. "Cmon, let's go back to the house. Your Unnie would kill me if the house was a mess when she comes back."  
>Yoona gasped. "Unnie's coming back soon?"<br>"I'm sure she is, yes."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō woke up to his phone ringing. He groaned as he opened his eyes and sat up, trying to adjust to the light coming through the window. "Hello?"  
>"Hey it's me."<br>Tōshirō got a little bit more alert. "Oh Rin, hey!"  
>"My my, you sound quite upbeat."<br>Tōshirō scratched the back of his neck a little embarrassed. "Oh well yeah. I ran into Abarai yesterday."  
>"Oh I see. So you know that I reached Shikai huh?"<p>

Tōshirō shifted so he could cross his legs. "Yeah. I also heard that you were exhausted by the end of it. You ok now?"  
>"Yeah I'm ok. Still a little tired, but nowhere near as bad as I was yesterday. I ended up sleeping for like 14 hours!"<br>"Wow. I wish I could sleep for that long." Karin laughed. "So do you know when you're coming back? Yoona misses you a lot, and you know, I do too."  
>Karin smiled. "I don't know exactly. I only talked with my teacher briefly before I got taken to the medical wing. But I know it'll be by this weekend. They don't see any point in keeping me here now."<br>"I'm not surprised, given you managed to hold your own against a Vice-Captain for a while without a release form."  
>"Yeah, they figured my swordsmanship was now good enough to let me graduate."<p>

Tōshirō nodded. "Mm. Sounds about right. So I get to see you before the end of this week huh?"  
>Karin smiled. "Probably. I can't wait to see you and Yoona again."<br>"I can't wait to see you either."  
>Karin sighed. "Look Tōsh I gotta go to this whole meeting thing with my teacher before he's gotta go teach. I'll phone you later when I've got a definite date and time."<br>Tōshirō nodded. "Ah ok. I'll talk to you later then."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin sighed as she collapsed onto her bed. The teachers had decided to graduate Karin on the Friday morning, along with two other people. A young man who had also manage to reach Shikai recently and a teenage girl, not much older than Karin who had managed to finish the entire course in one and a half years rather than the full 3-5 years that the average student took to complete the academy. Karin asked what she was supposed to do with herself until Friday (which was two days away). Of course the teachers responded with more training. As they had put it, "Getting more practice and training more will never not be a good idea". After a long day of meditating and Kidō, she was exhausted once again.

Another girl in the dorm rolled over when she heard Karin walk in. "Oh you're back! Another long day I see?"  
>Karin nodded. "Yeah. Still one more full day and then I graduate."<br>"Oh about that, the rest of us and I thought it would be nice to go out on the Friday night to celebrate. The rest of us are pretty much stuck here until we graduate and chances are you'll be given a seated position pretty quickly, so I don't think we'll see each other for a while."  
>Karin thought for a moment. "Oh yeah. I guess you're right."<br>"So what do you think? One last night out, just the girls? Well, the girls and Aki and Mitsuru.

Karin laughed. "It sounds like a great idea. What sort of thing did you have in mind?"  
>"Well I don't know about the others, but I think we should all go out and dress up a bit, you know, smart casual sort of deal and have a meal together."<br>"How can you go smart casual with kimonos?"  
>"Oh I was thinking living world style! The clothes are so much cooler, especially the dresses!"<br>Karin smiled and nodded. "Fair enough. Sounds like a plan."  
>The girl grinned. "Great! Well I'm gonna go take a shower. You should get some sleep you look drained."<br>Karin nodded. "I'll do that."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin sighed. It was strange, she was trying to get through the academy so quickly so she could go back home, but now she was getting kinda nervous for her graduation tomorrow morning. It was only going to be a simple, small and pretty quick ceremony. That didn't worry her. It was leaving her friends. Obviously she had to, even if she didn't want to graduate the academy probably would've made her, it's just the fact that she wouldn't see them again for ages, possibly even years depending on how long they took to finish the academy. Karin sighed again. _'I guess that's what phones are for.'_

She looked over at her now charging phone. She had managed to kill the battery after having an hour long conversation with Tōshirō and a two and a half hour conversation with Yuzu. Not that she minded. Karin had managed to catch up with Yuzu and she said that she could borrow one of her dresses for the dinner tomorrow night.

The conversation with Tōshirō went well like usual. After discussing about Friday they decided that it would be best that she came to his office that night after her whole get-together with friends, he said that he had plenty of paperwork to do and was planning to work well into the night anyway as Rangiku watched over Yoona, on the condition that she stay sober all of that day and night, to which she agreed. Still, Karin felt like the whole paperwork thing was an excuse to stay up late. By the tone of his voice Tōshirō seemed pretty excited that Karin was coming back tomorrow night. She couldn't help but smile at the thought.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō sighed as he looked at the clock on his desk. It had gone past 11 at night. He didn't want to leave it too late before he came home because he felt it was unfair on Rangiku. But at the same time, he had agreed to meet Karin here at his office. Besides, he wanted to see her as soon as he could.

10 minutes or so had passed before Tōshirō heard a knock on the door. Tōshirō couldn't help but feel excited. He could sense who it was behind the door. He quickly finished signing a sheet before getting up and opening the door. He grinned when he saw her, which caused her to grin as well. Karin ran the short distance between them and jumped up to hug him. He responded by hugging her tightly back, before letting her go and kissing her. "I missed you so much."

Karin couldn't stop grinning. It was almost hilarious that people thought that he was ice cold and completely unemotional when the truth was he was basically a big softie underneath that icy exterior. "I missed you so much as well." She kissed him again and leant against him. "But do me a favour and stop growing before you end up being a foot taller than me."  
>Tōshirō laughed.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

The two of them entered the house to find Rangiku fast asleep on one of the sofas.  
>Karin giggled. "I guess looking after Yoona really is tough work."<br>"You're telling me."  
>Tōshirō's comment caused Karin to laugh again. "You know she's not even stirring. Maybe we should just leave her there until the morning?"<br>Tōshirō nodded. "I'm sure one of us will be awake before she is as well, so we can explain why she's still here tomorrow."  
>"Ok. I'm gonna guess that you haven't eaten yet."<br>"...Not really no."  
>"Well you go fix yourself something to eat while I go check on Yoona. I'll be back down in a sec."<p>

Tōshirō had just finished making himself a sandwich when he heard Karin's footsteps making their way back down stairs. As he started to eat he heard her mumble something before grabbing her bag and walking up the stairs again. Tōshirō assumed that she was unpacking it as well with how long it was taking her to get back down the stairs. Tōshirō sighed as he finished eating. He really had missed her a lot. Now that she was back all he wanted to do was kiss her and hug her and give her all of his attention.

He turned to face the doorway, leaning on the kitchen counter when he heard her coming closer. In all of the excitement he hadn't actually been able to look at her properly. When she walked into the kitchen and grinned at him, he could practically feel his heart rate speed up. She was amazingly beautiful. Karin had informed him that she was going to be coming straight from her dinner with her friends and that she had borrowed a dress from Yuzu. Due to Karin being taller than Yuzu by a couple inches or so and a little more voluptuous, the dress was fairly short and a little tight. It barely reached the middle of her thighs and it practically showcased her curves. The dress was a bright red, so she had worn bright red lipstick to match and had red hair clips in her wavy black hair. The overall effect made Karin look stunning.

Karin grinned at Tōshirō's reaction. She did honestly feel quite confident in the outfit. She wasn't usually one for tightly fitting, short dresses but, while she was too modest to say it out loud, she did think she pulled it off quite well. And apparently so did Tōshirō. She walked up to him and hugged him again, whispering in his ear as she did. "Who knew a simple little dress would be enough to get you to react like this."

Tōshirō spun round, while still hugging Karin, making her lean on the kitchen counter rather than him. Because of how much he had grown recently, Karin had to tilt her head up to get her eyes to match his. He bent down slightly to get closer to her face, and he spoke quietly. "It isn't the dress." Tōshirō got even closer, their faces just centimetres apart. "It's the person in the dress."

Tōshirō smirked when he realised that Karin's breathing had gotten heavier. He leaned forward and kissed her deeply, causing Karin to sigh happily before she even noticed herself doing it. Tōshirō pressed himself against her and kissed her more passionately. Before long the two were making out. Karin, running out of breath before Tōshirō did pulled away slightly and leaned against him, breathing heavily on his neck. He looked down at Karin. The sight of her just made him want more.

He turned slightly so he was directly facing her and he hooked his arms around her legs, lifting her up so she was sitting on the counter. Tōshirō saw a small, not so innocent smile on Karin's face, which he took as a sign to continue. He kissed her again roughly while moving closer to her again, Karin widening her legs slightly so Tōshirō could fit between them more easily. He moved down to her neck, causing her breath to hitch. He bit her lower neck softly, making her moan. Instinctively she tilted her head, allowing Tōshirō better access to her neck and collarbones, something he took full advantage of.

Watching and hearing Karin react to his actions just made him more eager to keep going. Her eyes were closed and she was moaning more often as Tōshirō learnt which parts of her were more sensitive than others. Tōshirō moved his right hand from supporting her back and gently placed it on her thigh, brushing past her waist as he went. He started to stroke her right thigh, slowly moving upwards, making her breath hitch for the second time that night. He moved his head lower to bite the top of her left breast gently before sucking the same area, causing her to moan loudly. Tōshirō shifted closer, pressing himself against her, making her whimper slightly. She could feel how aroused he was, not just physically but through his reiatsu too. He may have had decades to learn how to control his other emotions, but Karin doubted he had felt this before. She certainly hadn't.

By this point in time Karin had her legs wrapped loosely around Tōshirō's waist and she had her arms around his neck, clinging onto him. Tōshirō had one hand supporting Karin's lower back, one on her hip, underneath her dress. While he was still kissing, licking and biting her neck and collarbone area, he was mainly focusing on the hand he had on her hip. He found it amazing he could practically control the reactions she had using one hand. It also surprised him just how sensitive she was. Small strokes around her hip simply caused her breathing to get heavier. However just brushing his fingers underneath her navel he could get her to moan and even whimper, if he went lower. Tōshirō looked up and saw Karin looking at him, with something new in her eyes, something he hadn't seen before. It was as if she was daring him to go further, to go lower. Tōshirō decided to oblige. He kept his eye contact with her and slowly moved his hand downwards. Tōshirō couldn't help but smirk at her reaction. She gasped, rather loudly before biting her lip and digging her nails into his back. She really was sensitive. Then again, he doubted she had even been touched like this, not even by herself, given the awkward situations she had been in for the past couple of years.

Tōshirō was about to go further when he heard a very flustered voice coming from the doorway, making him turn his head quickly. "Oh my god! I'm so sorry Captain! I didn't mean to interrupt! I just wondered if you were back yet. But clearly you are! So I'll be off now!"  
>Both Karin and Tōshirō had turned a bright red as they saw an equally bright red Rangiku leave the room.<br>Karin was the first one to break the silence. "Of course she would pick now to wake up."  
>Tōshirō nodded. "Well...The office will certainly be awkward tomorrow.<p>

Karin laughed, embarrassed, before Tōshirō continued speaking. "Speaking of which. It's gone past midnight and I have a meeting tomorrow at 7. Plus I'm sure you've had a busy day. We should both go to bed." Karin raised an eyebrow. "To sleep that is."  
>Karin scoffed slightly as she rolled her eyes with a smile on her face. "You're a fucking tease you know that?"<br>Tōshirō couldn't stop himself from smirking. "Sorry." He kissed her on the lips again. "I'm sure I'll find some way to make it up to you." With that he pulled himself away from her and starting walking out of the kitchen before turning around to make sure she was following him.  
>"Tch. You better make it up to me."<br>Tōshirō rolled his eyes before grabbing her hand and pulling her gently off the counter. "Cmon, we really should sleep."  
>Karin nodded and walked with him upstairs.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō woke up to the sound of his alarm going off at 6 in the morning. He turned it off quickly, not wanting to wake Karin up, especially as they hadn't really managed to go to sleep straight away, both of them being a bit hot and bothered from earlier events. Just thinking about it made Tōshirō's face go red. It surprised him that it had happened really. Beforehand all they had done was kiss and suddenly they ended up doing something a little more 'serious' than that. It just kinda happened. Not that he was complaining, nor she for that matter. Tōshirō slid out of bed and grabbed his towel so he could take a shower.

A little while after Tōshirō had gotten out of the shower he heard little footsteps running across the floor towards his bedroom. Wanting Karin to get at least a little more sleep he jogged out of the bedroom and caught Yoona mid-run, causing her to gasp. "Oh! You're here Oppa!"

Tōshirō nodded. "Yes. Do you want me to make you breakfast?" Yoona nodded enthusiastically. "Alright, well you go downstairs and I'll be down in a bit, I just gotta get dressed." Yoona nodded enthusiastically again and ran down the stairs eagerly. Tōshirō winced as he watched her run down the stairs. Yoona was usually pretty steady on her feet, but she did trip more than occasionally and Tōshirō would hate to see her fall down the stairs.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Once both Tōshirō and Yoona had eaten breakfast, Tōshirō started making sure he was ready for the day. When that was done he pulled out some paper and coloured pens so Yoona could keep herself happy while Karin was still asleep. He waved goodbye to her and headed off to the tenth squad office, a little nervous that he was going to run into Rangiku.

Karin woke up when she heard Yoona slam the door closed after saying goodbye to Tōshirō. Karin smiled to herself. Clearly the young girl hadn't quite grasped the concept of staying quiet, which Tōshirō had clearly tried to do. Karin stretched her muscles and sat up. She reached over to her bedside table and grabbed her iPod, planning on using music to help wake her up properly.

Half an hour later Karin was up an running. She brushed her hair thoroughly, it being a little messy and knotty from the night before, and walked down the stairs. She quietly walked into the living room to see Yoona sitting in the middle of floor, concentrating hard on what she was drawing. Karin studied her. She was wearing a light pink kimono (which she assumed Tōshirō helped her put on) with her medium brunette let down so it reached her mid back. _'Probably because Tōsh doesn't know how to put her hair up.'_ Karin smiled to herself. _'Maybe I should teach him.'_

Karin walked near to the little girl and spoke in a sing-song voice. "Yoona."  
>Yoona turned round quickly at the sound of Karin's voice and squealed. "Unnie!" She jumped up and hugged her tightly. "I missed you Unnie! But now you're back!"<br>Karin looked down at her and smiled. "Yes I'm back, I told I would come back didn't I?"  
>Yoona nodded. "Yeah and now you are back!"<br>Karin nodded. "Uh huh! So what do you want to do today?"  
>"I wanna spend the whole day with you Unnie!"<br>Karin grinned.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō sighed as he finally finished one stack of paperwork. Shame he had another 4 to go. When he heard his door open and close he looked up from his desk to find Rangiku walking in with a sly grin on her face. 'Oh damn.'  
>"Hey Captain"<br>"Morning Matsumoto. I don't suppose you're here to do your work for once?"  
>"Oh come now Captain, you should know me better than that by now." She spoke in a sing song voice. "I came here to talk to you!"<br>Tōshirō sighed as he sat up and leaned back in his chair. "That's what I was afraid of. Although I did see it coming."

Rangiku sat down on the sofa nearest Tōshirō's desk. "Good. First things first, I gotta ask. If I hadn't walked in on you and Karin last night do you think you would have gone you know, all the way?"  
>Tōshirō's cheeks tinged with pink. "I err, I don't know." He spoke in a quieter voice after thinking for a bit. "Probably."<br>"Thought as much." Rangiku pulled out a box from her uniform and threw it over to Tōshirō, who caught it. "Despite your high intelligence, somehow I don't suppose safe sex occurred to you."  
>Tōshirō looked at the box of condoms before looking back up Rangiku. "To be honest I don't think <em>sex<em> occurred to me."

Rangiku nodded with a kind smile on her face. "I'm not surprised. Your so used to being and being treated like a kid that I thought you might forget that to take into account that the pair of you are now hot-blooded teenagers."  
>Tōshirō's face went redder. "It just kinda happened."<br>"Oh it always does Captain. You can't really plan these things. But you do need to be prepared. Which is why I gave you those." Tōshirō nodded before Rangiku continued speaking. "There are some STIs and STDs that you can be born with, but I reckon you're both completely clean. Possible pregnancy is the main issue here."  
>Tōshirō agreed. "Thanks. I appreciate it, even if this is awkward."<p>

Rangiku laughed. "Now onto the next thing."  
>"Wait that wasn't it?"<br>"Nope! You do actually know what you're doing right? I mean she'll know, but I don't know if you know. It depends on how much you've heard really. It's not like we have a sex education programme."  
>Tōshirō raised his eyebrow. "What do you mean she'll know?"<br>Rangiku rolled her eyes. "Are you kidding Captain? You've been in the human world before. Sex really isn't a taboo subject in Japan. With the internet and stuff it would be practically impossible for her to not stumble across anything. And that's assuming she hasn't gone looking for anything deliberately."

Tōshirō struggled to keep his eyes from staring at the floor. This was incredibly embarrassing. But the way he saw it, she was a lot more experienced than he was, and she was only trying to help and make sure that both he and Karin were ok.  
>Rangiku spoke again. "But anyway Captain, <em>do<em> you know what you're doing?"  
>Tōshirō coughed nervously before answering. "Well...I kinda have an idea of what I'm doing. I'm not an expert or anything but it's not like I'm clueless."<br>Rangiku nodded. "Oh well that's fine then. No one really knows what they're doing until they get experience to be honest, but some people do struggle a lot if they have _absolutely_ no idea. A lot of it is just trail and error. I mean different people have different spots that drive them crazy. You just gotta watch their reactions really." Tōshirō nodded slightly, staying silent, getting embarrassed by the second.

Rangiku saw his reaction and decided to tie the whole conversation up, figuring he could only take so much in one morning. "Just one more thing before I go Captain. Never underestimate hers or your hormones, always be prepared. Trust me, it's just easier that way." Tōshirō nodded and watched Rangiku leave his office, who waved as she closed the door. Tōshirō sighed and leaned back in his chair again. _'Well that was fun.'_ Tōshirō had to admit that Rangiku did have some good points though.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō sighed as he was called to another meeting. It was just a brief Captains meeting, and he did actually want to go to this one. It was a meeting to determine which graduates should go to which squad. There were three students that graduated yesterday, which included Karin and there were eight students from a fortnight ago who hadn't been officially placed in a squad yet due to other, more pressing matters getting in the way.

The meeting went quite quickly, as Tōshirō had expected. There was a dispute over a certain graduate as they had a very unusual Kidō Zanpaktō but it was eventually decided that they would go over to the Kidō Corps as the student was very skilled in Kidō, as long as the student agreed. Then it came to where to put Karin. A few squads pointed out that they didn't want her in them, as they didn't think she would thrive there. Although Tōshirō suspected that Captain Kurotsuchi simply didn't want her in his squad, not that Tōshirō cared. He didn't particularly like the idea of her working in the 12th squad anyway.

After a 5, maybe 10 minute discussion it was decided that she would be given a choice out of the 2nd squad, the 6th squad and the 13th squad. She would be unseated to begin with, despite her skills, until she settled into the shinigami way of life, then it would be up to the Captain if they wanted to promote her or not. The Captains discussed the rest of the students until Tōshirō started to think about Karin's options while he made his way back to his office.

Tōshirō reckoned that Karin could do very well in the 2nd squad, she would certainly be pushed in training, which was better for her. However Tōshirō wasn't completely sure that the Stealth Force was Karin's sort of style, doing things in secret and attacking opponents from behind, but that was her decision to make, not his. Tōshirō believed she would do well in any of the three squads to be honest. But there were downsides to each one. He didn't think she would be pushed as much as she possibly should while in the 13th squad, but with the members that are in the squad, she would possibly enjoy her time there more. The 6th squad was another squad that Tōshirō figured she would thrive under. After all it was Captain Kuchiki's idea for her to fight Renji which gave her the ability to release her Shikai in the first place. But he wasn't convinced that she would get trained as well as she could because of the unusual style of her Zanpaktō. Well, it didn't really matter what Tōshirō thought, unless Karin had asked for his opinion. She had to choose which squad felt right for her.

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō put his key through the door and pushed it. Instead of finding Karin and Yoona in the living room which was what he expected he was met with an empty downstairs. He took his Captain's haori off and folded it neatly. After putting it down on a nearby table Tōshirō made his way upstairs in attempt to find the two girls. He stuck his head into his bedroom, finding nothing, he walked across the hall and went into Yoona's bedroom. Again there was no one in the room. However he saw movement in the corner of his eye. He walked up to the window and saw Yoona trying to kick a football into a makeshift goal that Karin was defending in the (overgrown) back garden. He couldn't help but grin at the sight.

He made his way downstairs and started watching the two girls playing together from the doorway that lead to the back garden. He loved seeing them so happy. Yoona spotted Tōshirō and ran towards him and started pulling at his clothes. "Oppa! Come on! We need to beat Unnie!" Tōshirō smiled and jogged into the back garden.  
>Karin pulled a face. "Aw crap." Tōshirō grinned before moving into a position, ready for Yoona to kick the ball to him.<p>

Yoona kicked the ball as hard as she could with a small "Yah!" and watched as Tōshirō kicked it in Karin's direction. She caught it fairly easily and rolled it gently back to Yoona. "You'll have to do better than that to beat me Tōsh!" Yoona kicked it lightly this time and ran forward, a little wobbly due to the uneven ground, and slowly made her way to the goal. As Yoona was about to kick it towards the goal, Tōshirō grabbed Karin from the side to stop her from blocking the goal, tickling her as he did. She squealed slightly in surprise before giggling, trying to get away. She broke free and headed towards the ball that was now heading towards the goal.

Before she could reach it Tōshirō pulled her back again, a little too hard making Karin fall on top of him, winding him as he fell to the floor. The ball hit the fence in between the 'goalposts'. Yoona jumped up and down with her arms above her head. "Yay!" She ran over to Tōshirō, who was still under Karin with one of her hands up. Tōshirō put his free arm up and Yoona high-fived him, happy that she had managed to score a goal. Yoona ran over to the ball and started kicking it about by herself.

Karin sat up, causing Tōshirō to groan slightly. "Oh sorry!"  
>Tōshirō shook his head lightly while also sitting up, smiling. "Don't worry about it." He held her waist tightly and moved her slightly so it was a little more comfortable.<br>Karin turned slightly and put her hand on his cheek. "You smile a lot more these days."  
>Tōshirō hugged her. "I can't help it."<br>Karin grinned and leaned back into Tōshirō, resting her head on his shoulder. "Good."

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin sighed as she leant back against the headboard. "Ok, so I get to choose between the second, sixth and the thirteenth squads?" Tōshirō nodded. "How on earth am I supposed to decide? You know more about the squads, what do you think?"

Tōshirō leaned back against the headboard, next to Karin. "Well to be honest I don't really know what squad you should go in. I think you would improve the most, you know training-wise, under the second squad, given the type of squad that it is. That being said I think you would do pretty well in the sixth squad as well, and you might end up a more well rounded fighter than you would in the second squad. I think if you went into the thirteenth squad you would enjoy it more and get along well with the people in it, but you might not get the best training for the type of fighter that you are."

Karin thought for a moment. "Ugh, this is difficult."  
>Tōshirō nodded slightly. "Mm. Some people choose a squad and stay with them. Others change squads time to time and never really settle. It all depends on the person I guess."<br>"Huh? You can just change squads like that?"  
>"Well you gotta fill out paperwork and the Captain has to accept you into their squad, but nine times out of ten they let you transfer as long as it's not too often."<br>"Really?"  
>"Yeah, I mean take Abarai for example. He started off in the fifth squad, he transferred into the eleventh squad and then he got promoted to Vice-Captain of the sixth squad."<p>

Karin gave a short whistle. "Wow. Renji was really in the eleventh squad?"  
>Tōshirō nodded. "Yeah. He made it up to sixth seat as well."<br>"Oh wow. So you can transfer squads. That makes it this a little easier."  
>"Hmm? Did you think you had to choose one and then stick with it forever?"<br>Karin laughed. "Well not really. I guess it just didn't occur to me before." Tōshirō rolled his eyes with a smile on his face. "Oi! Don't roll your eyes at me." Karin poked Tōshirō lightly in his side, making him laugh.

He turned so he faced Karin properly. "You know there's a problem with poking me in the side. I'm not ticklish." Karin stuck her tongue out at him. "So do you at least have a vague idea of what squad you want to go into?"  
>Karin shrugged. "Well I think I'll rule out the thirteenth."<br>Tōshirō nodded. "I'm not surprised."  
>"I'm kinda stuck between the second and the sixth. What do you think?"<br>"I don't know to be honest Rin. It's your choice."  
>Karin sighed.<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Tōshirō had taken a day off from working, at Karin's request, having worked constantly for a while. At the moment Karin was teaching him the different ways to style long hair. Karin was sitting on the sofa with her legs spread wide, with Yoona sitting cross-legged on the floor just in front of her. Tōshirō had managed to do a ponytail and a simple bun fairly easily, but they were only simple hairstyles.

Karin collected all of Yoona hair at the back of her head and separated it into three sections. She gently pulled the outer section on the right over the middle section, pulling it semi tightly. She then pulled the outer section on the left over the middle section, again it pulling it somewhat tight. Karin continued this process with relative ease, until she had finished braiding Yoona's hair into a neat plait. Tōshirō raised his eyebrow. _'Well it looks simple enough.'_

After Karin pulled Yoona's hair out of the plait she gave it a quick brush and moved so Tōshirō could have a go. He separated her hair into three and started trying to braid it. Tōshirō narrowed his eyes in concentration, turns out it was a little more difficult than it looked. It took more concentration that he thought to keep the three sections separate while still braiding, and keeping the hair tight so you would get a neat braid. He managed to finish it, but it was pretty messy. Karin smiled. "That's really not bad for a first try. Being able to braid her takes practice. The only reason I can do it is because me and Yuzu used to do each other's hair, it's easier to do someone else's than your own. Or at least I think so."

Tōshirō nodded. "It's harder than it looks."  
>Karin agreed while pulling Yoona's hair out of the plait. "Yeah. I'm pretty sure it improves your co-ordination with your hands. I don't think we'll try a French braid though."<br>"Hmm? What's the difference?"  
>Karin started brushing Yoona's hair. "It's a little more complicated. Look I'll show you."<br>After putting Yoona's hair into a French braid the little girl had decided she was bored and went off to play in her room.  
>Tōshirō thought for a moment. "That didn't look that complicated."<br>"Ah but I make it look easy."

Tōshirō smiled. "That's true. I didn't think it would be as difficult as it was."  
>"You'll get the hang of it. Just needs practice."<br>Tōshirō smiled again. "I'm not sure Yoona has the patience to let me practice on her. She seems to have a short attention span."  
>"Most children do. You can always practice on me if you want."<br>Tōshirō raised an eyebrow. "Really?"  
>"Sure. With me going into a squad and stuff I probably won't be here every single morning, so you'll have to do her hair at least occasionally. She gets bored of having it down all the time."<br>Tōshirō nodded "Yeah I noticed that. She really does get bored easily."  
>Karin shifted off the sofa while nodding. "Like I said, most children do." Karin tilted her head back so all of her hair fell onto her back. Tōshirō moved along the sofa so he was directly behind her. He grabbed the brush and ran it through her hair a couple times, making sure it wasn't knotty.<p>

He divided her hair into two and put a hair bobble around the right section to keep it out of the way. He split the left section of her hair into three and started braiding it. He pulled the sections of her hair a little tighter than he did with Yoona. Fumbling a little bit with sections he managed to finish the plait and he tied a hair bobble around it to stop it falling out. He gently turned Karin's head and he started to braid the right side of her hair, starting to find it a little easier.

As he was finishing the plait he pulled a little to hard, pulling Karin's head towards him. "Oh sorry, I'm sorry."  
>Karin rolled her eyes. "Don't worry about it Tōsh. I'm not made of glass, you can be a little rough with me."<br>Tōshirō stopped doing her hair for a moment and raised an eyebrow. "Hm?"  
>Karin's eyes widened slightly as she realised what she said. "Oh, oh my god that came out wrong I didn't mean it like that I just I er..."<br>Tōshirō laughed at how flustered she was getting."  
>Tōshirō laughing just made Karin even more flustered. She turned around to face him before hitting him gently on the leg. "Don't laugh at me!"<p>

Tōshirō smiled and shook his head at Karin's red face. "I love you."  
>Karin's eyes widened. "What did you say?"<br>"Oh." Tōshirō's cheeks became tinged with pink. "That's the first time I've said that isn't it?"  
>Karin nodded. "Uh yeah."<br>"Sorry."  
>Karin smiled, still bright red. "Why are you apologising?"<br>"I, er..."

Karin grinned. "I love you too." Tōshirō couldn't stop himself from grinning. Karin put her hands on Tōshirō's knees and pushed herself up onto her knees and kissed him. Tōshirō smiled as he watched Karin sit back down, a smile on her face, her eyes on the floor out of embarrassment. Tōshirō reached forward and finished the plait, tying a hair bobble around it. Karin looked up at him when he finished, with two somewhat messy plaits in her hair, her fringe practically covering one of her dark blue eyes and her cheeks tinged a rosy peak Tōshirō couldn't help but grin. She was _so_ beautiful.  
>Tōshirō cleared his throat. "So...Um, do you know what squad you want to go into yet?"<p>

Karin nodded. "I think so."  
>"Oh?"<br>"I was thinking of going in the second squad. I think you're right, I think they would train me best. Plus I figured after I get trained for a bit and I decide that it's not for me or whatever I could always transfer into another squad."  
>Tōshirō nodded. "Fair enough. Do you want me to tell Captain Suì-Fēng?"<br>Karin bit her lip briefly before answering. "Can you do it tomorrow? I kinda wanna sleep on it, make sure I'm sure, you know?"  
>Tōshirō nodded. "Sure."<p>

XxXxXxXxXxX

Karin sighed deeply while adjusting her uniform for what felt like the thousandth time that morning.  
>"Nervous?"<br>Karin jumped and turned round to see Tōshirō sitting up in the bed. "How long have you been awake?"  
>"I don't know, five minutes? Maybe longer?"<br>"You should go back to sleep, it's your day off."  
>Tōshirō waved a hand dismissively. "No I'll be fine. I generally wake up early." He slid out of bed and started walking towards Karin. "Besides, it's your first day."<p>

Karin smiled as Tōshirō hugged her tightly. "You think I'll be ok?"  
>"Trust me, you'll be fine."<br>"I hope so. I mean I'm pretty much new to this and I don't know how everything works and stuff."  
>"You'll learn and you'll adjust accordingly. Everyone does."<br>She looked over at the clock on the left bedside table. "Oh I should go." Karin took a deep breath causing Tōshirō to smile. He kissed her on the cheek before speaking. "You will be fine. But you should go, you don't want to be late."  
>Karin nodded. "Yeah. See ya later." Tōshirō smiled at her, which made her smile. "Bye." Tōshirō waved at her as a reply.<p>

Karin started making her way to the second squad, a little nervous. It was weird how quickly things had happened. Moving out of the Living World for the first time round seemed like years and years ago now. That being said, she and Tōshirō had first moved in together in the Living World almost 9 months ago now. Between then and now Aizen had gotten stronger and stronger, Karin had died, lost her memories, regained her memories and discovered her Zanpaktō. Then Aizen was defeated, she ended up moving in with Tōshirō again, except this time with Yoona and now she was about to start her life as a proper, employed shinigami. Karin sighed happily. Despite all the shit that happened to her, life really didn't turn out so bad.

* * *

><p><strong>Ok I'll admit, that was the best ending, but it's always so hard to end stories like this, when all the 'action' stopped a short while ago and you're just tying up loose ends. Still I hope it's ok. I still don't know what to do about a possible sequel to be honest. I'm either gonna do an epilogue as an extra chapter on this story, or I'll write a sequel. I can't really do both and I haven't decided which one I'm going to do (I'm marking this story as complete anyway though). By the way in reference to Karin's Zanpakto, Kagayaku means shine, and her name, Akemi, means bright beauty. I thought it was fitting.<strong>

**But wow this feels really weird. I've been working on this (admittedly on and off) for like 14 months now. It's longer than the second Harry Potter book for heaven's sake, even though I'll probably do a sequel or an epilogue it feels so weird to finish this story. I feel like I'm saying goodbye to this version of the characters. It really is weird. Maybe I get attached to easily XD **


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